Ernst Wilhelm "Wim" Wenders (German:[vɪm vɛndɐs]; born 14 August 1945) is a German filmmaker, playwright, author, photographer, and a major figure in New German Cinema. In a career spanning over four decades, he has received some of the highest international film awards, including the Palme d'Or at the 1984 Cannes Film Festival for his drama Paris, Texas; the Golden Lion for the drama The State of Things at the Venice Film Festival (1982); and Best Director for the romantic fantasy film Wings of Desire at the 1987 Cannes Film Festival. He has been nominated for the Academy Awards three times, for his documentaries Buena Vista Social Club, about the music of Cuba, Pina, about the contemporary dance choreographer Pina Bausch, and The Salt of the Earth, about Brazilian photographer Sebastião Salgado. Since 1996, Wenders has been the president of the European Film Academy in Berlin.