German director Wolfgang Becker, to whom we owe the hit film Good Bye, Lenin!a comedy released in 2003 about the fall of the Berlin Wall with Daniel Brühl, died at the age of 70.
According to Wolfgang Becker's relatives, contacted by the American media The Hollywood Reporter, the filmmaker died this Friday, December 13 following a serious illness.
Born in 1954 in Hemer, Wolfgang Becker studied film at the German Film and Television Academy in Berlin and quickly became known with his first film Butterflies (Butterflies) – inspired by a short story by Ian McEwan – which allowed him to win the Oscar for best student film.
In 1994, Wolfgang Becker co-founded the Berlin production company X Filme Creative Pool with which he produced his first commercial success, Life is a construction site (Life is a construction site) in 1997. Premiered at the Berlin Film Festival, this feature film won three awards.
80 million dollars in revenue worldwide
Six years later, in 2003, the filmmaker unveiled his new film, Good Bye, Lenin!. A real success at the German box office with more than 6 million admissions, this comedy tells the story of a communist woman from East Germany who falls into a coma shortly before the fall of the Berlin Wall.
When he wakes up, his children continue to make him believe that the GDR still exists to avoid a shock. Success also abroad with more than 80 million dollars in revenue worldwide, Good Bye, Lenin! allowed the actor Daniel Brühl to be revealed to the general public, when he was only 25 years old.
Wolfgang Becker's film was awarded nine Lolas (German cinema award, editor's note), 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 Globes.
In addition to his career as a director, Wolfgang Becker has also taught at the German Film and Television Academy in Berlin, the Baden-Württemberg Film Academy and the Academy of Media Arts in Cologne.
Original article published on BFMTV.com
