Falsche Bewegung (Wrong Move). 1975. West Germany. Directed by Wim Wenders. Screenplay by Peter Handke, Wim Wenders, based on Goethe’s Wilhelm Meister’s Apprenticeship. With Rüdiger Vogler, Hanna Schygulla, Marianne Hoppe, Nastassja Kinski, Hans Christian Blech . In German; English subtitles. 35mm. 103 min.
Adrienne Mancia’s emphasis on new global cinemas pushed audiences to go beyond “established” classics to discover unknown, upcoming talents. Founded in 1972 by MoMA and the Film Society of Lincoln Center, New Directors/New Films quickly became an essential gateway for independent cinema. Some of the world’s most celebrated directors had their first New York screenings in the festival—including Wim Wenders, whose adaptation of Peter Handke’s short story The Goalkeeper’s Fear of the Penalty Kick screened in its first lineup. In Wrong Move, Wenders shoots Handke’s adaptation of Goethe’s Wilhelm Meister's Apprenticeship, kickstarting themes that Wenders would continue to pursue in both Germany and the US: journeys of self-discovery and existential angst, unresolved pasts, and the hardships of emotional reconciliation with oneself and others. Mancia would continue to showcase new German cinema by traveling to West Germany, meeting filmmakers, and, with her colleague Larry Kardish, screening their work at MoMA in the recurring Das Neues Kino series.