Closing speech by Wim Wenders, President of the European Film Academy, during the European Culture Forum.

The speech was read out by EFA director Ms Döring, and is available for download as a PDF on the European Commission website.

A few months ago, the European Film Academy organised a think tank dedicated to "THE IMAGE OF EUROPE".

The think tank took place under the patronage of the President of the European Commission, José Manuel Barroso, who actually joined us on that occasion and took a very active and very outspoken part in it.

Why did we, a group of around twenty filmmakers such as Costa-Gavras, Agnieszka Holland, István Szabó, Volker Schlöndorff and myself (all of us convinced Europeans), but also some younger colleagues such as Marjane Satrapi
(who made the wonderful animation film PERSEPOLIS), Johanna ter Steege and Labina Mitevska, two actresses, very much committed to Europe, one from The Netherlands, the other from Macedonia – why did we feel the urge to talk about "THE IMAGE OF EUROPE"?

Through our European Film Awards the European Film Academy is promoting European cinema for over 20 years now. Each year we are blown away by the talent, the inventiveness, the courage and the social awareness of their creators, we're blown away by the never-ending variety of amazing images, of surprising stories, of wit, craftsmanship and mastery that are used by these filmmakers to portray a striking continent, our own, EUROPE.

And yet, it seems to us, that these IMAGES OF EUROPE do not correspond to the IMAGE OF EUROPE that is perceived by its citizens in their every day lives.

The utopia that "Europe" once represented when I grew up as a boy or as a young man, fifty, forty years ago, or the hope and enthusiasm that we all witnessed only twenty years ago, when the Berlin Wall came down and seemed to turn a dream into reality, over night, a dream that had carried and united the people of Europe throughout decades of separation... this utopia, hope and enthusiasm have gradually been taken over by lethargy and scepticism.

Well, not so in our think tank.

These filmmakers were dedicated Europeans, we seemed to know exactly how much Europe meant to us. Europe was present, alive, wanted and needed in our midst. Why was it, why is it, that the Directorate General which is responsible for Communication isn't counting more on us, isn't using us, the specialists, if you want, when it comes to European imagery and storytelling? Why did we have to impose us, lift our fingers and say: "Hey, we're here, we're good at this! Emotional communication is our business!"

Why doesn't the Commission turn on its own impulse to the competent and dedicated Europeans when it comes to communication? Could it be, that the political Europe has forgotten who this continent belongs to? That it belongs to THE EUROPEANS and not to its INSTITUTIONS? We're ready! We're on standby!

But we don't seem needed.

I'm not just talking about a bunch of film people, I'm talking about US EUROPEANS! Are we only asked to show up when it comes to elections? The one political, economical and cultural entity that people are most relating to is their REGION. That's all they really need.

It's their home, their roots, their refuge, their own history, their local accent, their landscape, their taste, their food, their local colour... Everybody of us Europeans has his or her own region deeply engraved in us.

And then there is the much bigger context, of course, our country. Already we do not feel quite so involved. Nationalism isn't so popular anymore. For many of us, the country, or the nation, is rather a burden. Especially in Germany, we have mixed feelings about it.

Anyway, all I'm saying is: that political entity of the "nation" is more removed, less in our hearts than our "region".

Then there is the very big context: the global one.
We all learn to think in these terms, and people are more and more aware of global economics, politics, warming... global anything.
But that is even more removed, and for many rather a source of anxiety.
Too big!
The refuge is the region, the necessary evil the country, or the nation, and the overpowering scary notion is "the globe, planet Earth".

Now where the hell does "Europe" fit in?
Somewhere in between?
It is a bigger idea than our countries, yet not as big as the world...

DO we NEED this additional entity, these additional politics, these additional elections, this additional representation? Many people ask themselves that question. And they are NOT given good answers!

"What does Europe do for me?" they rightfully ask.
This is probably the most often asked question you're facing, you, "professional Europeans", who are working with and enjoying (hopefully, because yes, we do!) the idea of Europe on an every-day-basis.
While we are enjoying Europe, while we can even not imagine any more our lives WITHOUT this multitude of voices, of characters, mentalities, languages, we see a growing weariness among Europeans, an obvious lack of emotional response towards Europe.

I have been here before, a couple of years ago, to speak and think loudly about these matters on the invitation of a civil society initiative called "A SOUL FOR EUROPE", ("Europa eine Seele geben!") that has been relentlessly spreading the word about CULTURE as the base and underlying foundation of European identity.
The proclamation of a radical change of paradigm was and is their (shouldn't I rather say OUR) message.

It represents the very core of our European tradition and wealth, that for us "culture" is more than just decoration, more than just the icing on the cake. After centuries and centuries of a shared history through good times and through bad times, culture is part of our European genes, it is our soul, it is not an extra feature, it is the base model, the real thing, this continent's driving force, its engine! It is our most precious capital, yes, the tremendous property we Europeans own together.

If we want to make the most of our talents, it would be utterly stupid not to use this fortune to the limits, not to capitalize on it and to maximize its profits!
Our economic growth, our regional development, the chances of our foreign policy, our entire social life together, these all reach their true potential only, if we charge them up with this cultural factor.
It is the leaven that will make our bread (or cake) rise and prove to be wonderful, unique, more than filling.

But it has to act in all our European activities, from finances to trade to transportation to health, infiltrate all areas and make them blossom.

The European Agenda for Culture drew exactly the right consequences, by declaring CULTURE to be an integral factor of all European politics. It is up to us, the people in the cultural fields, to prove how right the Commission was, indeed, when they drew up the Agenda in 2007!
And that is, in the end, why you're all here now, at this European Culture Forum.

But: Isn't there something strangely wrong, something turned upside down, so to speak, with this “Cultural Agenda”? Isn't culture, as it is used in daily reality, still the icing on the cake, the little bit of extra decoration, the excuse, or justification rather, to continue otherwise with “politics as usual”?

Let me approach this from a different angle:
I travel a lot.
I worked in Africa, I lived in the US, I visited South America several times last year, I spent a long time in Asia...
Assuming all these perspectives I saw one thing distinctly: Europe is seen from all over the world with the utmost respect, even with a great deal of longing.
It represents a bastion of freedom, equality, diversity, and prosperity, but as the sum of it all Europe is seen as a stronghold of culture, it is seen as a civilized place, a realm of all the ideas and the human rights that our entire modern age is inspired by, and aspiring of – A PROMISE OF WEALTH!
Not so much material wealth, that exists elsewhere as well, but of spiritual, of “cultural wealth”.

Europe is seen as tolerant, with a lot of respect for minorities, accepting differences, able to solve situations through dialogue. In a strange way it is seen like the melting pot that America once represented – from outside, that is! Coming home to Europe, however, you realize it's not quite so. Europeans are often unhappy, discontent, insecure, scared, paranoid, slightly xenophobic or even downright racist, clinging to old ideas, shielding and protecting themselves...
They live in paradise, but they somehow don't appreciate it.

Which brings me back to the problem of THE IMAGE OF EUROPE.
It is obvious that Europe has an “image problem”, so to speak, a lack of positive branding, if you want to call it that. What can we do, to change this attitude towards Europe, to consequently, radically, change it's IMAGE?

The right image is the result of a good communication – as members of a modern, globalizing world, we are repeating that lesson every day, like a mantra: It's all about communication... but the communication of WHAT?

Allow me to be frank:
There is a disease at work here that is common, inherent to every organisation and structure all over the world. Every administration has the tendency to think of itself as the essence of what it administrates!
Administration always wants to become its own subject!
It wants to be what it should only serve.
But every “body” tends to do that, spend it all on itself, make itself the Holy Grail!
And Europe is no exception from that rule. Brussels exists to help administering Europe, but instead it thinks it IS Europe. Which is just as absurd!
Europe is not Brussels, Europe is out there, it is the peoples of Europe, their regions, their wealth, their culture, not the administration of all that.

“Europolitics” have stolen Europe from its rightful owners, the Europeans, and their revenge now is: disinterest. Refusal even.
Far too long Europe, or I should rather say: “the European authorities”, have been trying to convince its citizens of the quality of their political, of their administrative work. “European communication” is not much more than efforts of persuasion of the quality of its political management.
Just visit each of these “European centres” in our capitals.
That means: The administration tries to justify itself and sell us that justification as “European message”, instead of persuading Europeans with Europe itself, with its spirit, with its glory, with its history, with its culture, with its industries, with its languages, with its endless possibilities.
This Cultural Agenda has to put things back on their real feet. They have been upside down too long. It is us, the Europeans, who build Europe, “the meaning of Europe” is nothing but us again, everything Europe could be, it can be, because of us, THE EUROPEANS. Our work, our ideas, our dreams propel Europe, not its administration, and not its politicians!

This reversal back onto its feet would demand a revolution in European communication policy! Not less, and not more.
Stop putting the righteousness of European politics into the centre, and put the thing itself, EUROPE, in that place!
The work that needs praise is not the work of the administration, it is the work of the European people. They are the true actors, representatives, performers. They have to be given centre stage, they have to be asked, pushed, enticed, lured to give up their role of onlookers, audience, bystander, spectators and step into the arena. It is THEIR OWN HOUSE, they are not the visitors!
Most Europeans have no idea that they own that house!
But the ongoing project “Europe” is only worth it because of these present and future Europeans! They should know (and love) all the good reasons why so much effort has been put into it. Not in order to build an Empire or to rule the world, but to live in a haven of peace, in a continent that has been ravaged and destroyed by wars for centuries and centuries. Europeans need to feel part of that most exciting chapter in their history! That is the message to be conveyed!
No further efforts to try to gain consent and approval for politics and administration, for all the unconvinced and inconvincible.

Put Europe itself on the agenda, its people, its landscapes, its cities, its arts, its industries, its ideas, its good and its painful experiences, but LET EUROPE SPEAK FOR ITSELF!

The “European Agenda for Culture” which was signed by the member states two years ago has rightly acknowledged the constructive importance of culture for the genesis of modern Europe, of a prosperous Europe with an open minded and peaceful future. The Agenda acknowledges the central role of culture in all European political areas, from regional politics to foreign affairs, from economy to education. This recognition of the mediating impact of CULTURE represents a milestone in the younger history of our continent and – please allow me to say this – is, indeed, a great achievement by the political management of Europe, it is a case of enormous good luck for Europe!

This Culture Forum was the chance to take stock of how much the aims of the agenda have become reality. I'm sure you have discussed openly and frankly whether you have been successful during the past two years blowing life into dry paragraphs. I'm sure you have done your utmost to achieve their aims, even when you may have felt tired of what seems to be the work of Sisyphus.
I fear: as long as we are not able to revolutionize our communication policy, “selling Europe to the Europeans” will always feel like pushing a rock uphill.

“We have to concentrate more on the emotional side of Europe”, President Barroso stated at our think tank. And he continued: “Cinema can help us to create an emotional relation. Through cinema we can indeed speak about the European dream and we can develop it together.”
He is only too right!

Cinema has become the most powerful language of our times, its images have become the lingua franca of the planet.
A whole generation is growing up with this global visual language. You have been talking a lot about mobility these days. There is one mobility, however, that we should pay more attention to, and that is mental mobility.
What is powering imagination more than to be transported somewhere else!
How does that happen today if not through movies, moving images in every shape and form on whatever circuit or through what channels. Our films, our images and ideas have to travel again not just our young Europeans! Their visions, hopes and fears have to travel on, through our, or their, own images, through our very own European Cinema.

National ideas are shrinking more and more in the global age, while local and regional impulses continue to thrive and give people the roots they so badly need in the global community.
These regional roots are the very strength of our “European Cinema(s)” and of our story-telling. We tend to think of our diversity as our handicap. On the contrary! In the future it's going to be our biggest asset!

That Europe of the future will not exist in the minds and hearts of its people if it will not continue to project its own imagery and stories with confidence, emotions, guts, attractively and convincingly, at the height of the available technology, as state of the art, both in industrial and cultural terms. The reality is very different, though, painfully different! Neighbours in Europe know much less about their neighbours than we'd ever want to admit.

The most powerful image factory in the world – I am speaking about the American film industry – learned everything from us Europeans, so to speak: from the Austrians, Hungarians, French, Spanish, Swedish, Danish, Polish, English, German. “Talent” came over often for political reasons and discovered a universe ready to receive their gift, so that they could expand their visions and their talent freely. Hollywood embraced them and integrated their diversity.
The American Dream was the product of European inventiveness! It was, and is, the most powerful product of Cinema.

We don't have to imitate. We know!
We have it in front of our eyes, our European Dream.

It has come true in a bigger way than the boy I was 50 years ago ever thought possible! The World is ready to embrace it.

Let's not be modest about it.
Let's show it proudly and communicate it proudly: Our European Continent in its most glorious, prosperous and peaceful shape ever! Teach Europeans at a young age, in school, about Europe, and about cinema, about its own language and heritage of images, so they learn better how to see and differentiate and are in a more educated position to understand and digest and cherish.

With Sweden having the European leadership right now, we feel it is a very good moment to bring this request to the attention of our governments: Establish the audiovisual language and grammar as an integral part of the school curriculum and as a medium of communication. We have to bring our heritage, not just new films, to our neighbours, introduce us to each other's film culture in new imaginary ways.

Our diversity, still often seen as our curse, is our blessing, but will be our greatest in the future.
Let's nourish it.
Let's communicate it.
Let's teach it.

Image: Wim Wenders by _titi on Flickr