On January 10, the World Socialist Web Site will publish an interview with internationally acclaimed film director Wim Wenders, conducted by Richard Phillips in Sydney. The filmmaker visited Australia in late December to promote Buena Vista Social Club, a documentary featuring the alluring music of Cuba's unique bands.

Wenders, who has directed more than 20 feature films since 1970, was, along with Rainer Werner Fassbinder and Werner Herzog, one of the leading figures of the New German Cinema of the 1970s. His filmography includes: The Goalkeeper's Fear of the Penalty Kick (1971); Alice in the Cities (1974); Kings of the Road (1976); The American Friend (1977); Lightning Over the Water (1980); Paris, Texas (1984); Wings of Desire (1987); Until the End of the World (1991); Far Away, So Close (1993); Beyond the Clouds, in conjunction with Michelangelo Antonioni (1995); The End of Violence (1997); Buena Vista Social Club (1999); and the soon-to-be-released The Million Dollar Hotel.

The talented filmmaker talked to Richard Phillips about the Buena Vista Social Club, cultural protectionism, the decline of film criticism and the power of film as a medium of social change.