German cinema is in mourning. Wolfgang Becker, the German director whose reunification film “Good Bye, Lenin!” » enjoyed worldwide success, died at the age of 70 following a serious illness, his family announced this Friday.
It was this dramatic comedy released in 2003 which allowed actor Daniel Brühl to reveal himself at the age of 25. The film tells the story of a communist woman from East Germany who falls into a coma shortly before the fall of the Berlin Wall, and whose children make her believe, when she wakes up, that the GDR always exists to prevent him from being shocked.
Wolfgang Becker graduated from the German Film and Television Academy Berlin (DFFB) in 1987 and quickly made his mark with “Schmetterlinge”, his directorial debut. It allowed him to win several prestigious awards including the Oscar for best student film (Student Film Award).
In 1994, he co-founded the Berlin production company Premiered at the Berlin Film Festival, it won three awards and became his first commercial success.
A few years later, he directed “Good Bye, Lenin!” ”, which was a huge success in Germany and abroad, selling in more than 60 countries and grossing some $80 million. This dramatic comedy has won numerous awards including nine Lolas (Editor's note: German cinema award), six prizes at the European Film Awards, and the César for best EU film in 2004. It was also nominated for the BAFTA and the Golden Globe for Best International Feature Film.
In 2015 he collaborated again with Daniel Brühl with the feature film “Ich und Kaminski”, an art world satire adapted from the book by Daniel Kehlmann. In addition to his work as a director, Becker has taught at the DFBB, the Baden-Württemberg Film Academy and the Cologne Academy of Media Arts.
His friends and X-Filme co-founders Stefan Arndt, Dani Levy and Tom Tykwer paid tribute to him, calling him a “unique friend and companion” whose “love, strength and creativity will be greatly missed.” Wolfgang Becker is survived by his wife, Susanne, and their daughter, Rike.
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