Wim Wenders and the "Keys to the Freedom of the World"

May 6th 2025 – On the 80th anniversary of Europe's liberation, the cult director tells the forgotten story of Germany's capitulation. The Federal Foreign Office releases the short film and communication campaign "The Keys to Freedom" by Wim Wenders and Scholz & Friends Berlin.

The unconditional surrender of the German Wehrmacht is undoubtedly one of the key moments in European history. Yet the events of the night that sealed the end of Nazi rule on 7 May, not 8 May 1945, are still known only to experts. To mark the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Europe, Wim Wenders has been commissioned by the Federal Foreign Office to tell the story of the capitulation - and the story of the most secret room in Europe where it was signed.

In a 4-minute long short film, Wim Wenders captures the special atmosphere of this historic room and this night, interweaving the original historical recordings of the surrender with a very contemporary rediscovery of this place and its history. The film is a very personal look at the beginning of a historically unique period of peace in Europe, and also raises the question of how we can preserve peace and freedom for the next generation.

Background: In May 1945, the headquarters of the Allied forces in Western Europe was not in a bunker or barracks, but in the map room of a school in Reims. It was here, in the midst of regular school life, that Eisenhower organised the fight against the Wehrmacht. And it was here that General Jodl arrived in the early evening of 7 May 1945 with the intention of negotiating a surrender on the Western Front only. Dispatches went back and forth, and finally Jodl was given the mandate to sign the complete and unconditional surrender. At 2.41am on 7 May, the Second World War ended in a schoolroom in Reims.

Two months later, the American General Lord handed the mayor of Reims the keys to the map room, saying: "These are the keys to the freedom of the world".

To this day, the keys are kept in the small museum of the Lycee Roosevelt in Reims. And the map room has remained unchanged. Even the ashtrays from that night are still on the table. The film was shot a few weeks ago on the original locations in Reims, with the participation of students from today's Lycée.

Wim Wenders, who celebrates his 80th birthday this year, personally narrated the film in German, English and French. The film will also be available with subtitles in Arabic, Chinese, Portuguese, Russian and Spanish.

The Federal Foreign Office, German embassies around the world and other partners will promote the film through social media, YouTube, digital education, events and cinema screenings. The film can be used free of charge on all communication channels, provided that the source is acknowledged, and the film itself is not altered. Anyone wishing to use the film in schools, memorials, cinemas or on other occasions is welcome to contact the Federal Foreign Office. The right to use the film free of charge is valid for at least the next five years.

With background material, photos, making-of videos and other content, the film marks the start of the Federal Foreign Office's communication activities that will extend beyond the anniversary on 8 May. Wim Wenders: "Hardly anyone knows the place and its history where such a historic event as the capitulation of 8 May 1945 took place. I was born just a few months after the end of the Second World War and have lived for almost 80 years in a country that has regained peace and freedom, completed by reunification in 1990. With the help of many creative people I know in Germany and France, and with the warm support of the staff in Reims, I was able to make a short film that shows, not only in historical retrospect, that freedom is never a matter of course. Dr Peter Ptassek, Representative for Strategic Communication and Public Diplomacy at the Federal Foreign Office: "Wim Wenders has given us not only an artistic contribution to the end of the Second World War, but also a thought-provoking impulse that we actively take up: freedom is not a given, but must be preserved and defended. That is why the "Keys to Freedom" from that time lead us to the question: How do we invest in our freedom today? Under #HowToInvestInFreedom, bright minds from France, Poland, the UK and the US will share their answers with us. We at the Federal Foreign Office are also asking ourselves what Germany's role is in a world of upheaval.

Dr. Daniel Völker, Managing Director at Scholz & Friends: "The task: What can be said about the events of 8 May after 80 years? The discovery: A place where history was made that hardly anyone knows about. Two old keys in a museum display case that have become a powerful leitmotif for our time: People aged between 16 and 80 from Germany and France spoke on the set about what the "keys to freedom" can be today. We hope that this film will turn memory into a dialogue about the future. We would like to thank Wim Wenders and all those who invested so much passion to make this special project possible in such a short time".

Credits

Client: Federal Foreign Office

Agency: Scholz & Friends Berlin (Agenda)

Core team:
Dr. Daniel Völker (Managing Director), Mirko Derpmann (Creative Director), Lisa Brunelle (Project Management Short Film)

Scholz & Friends Broadcast:
Marc Lerche (Managing Director), Sascha Kloppenburg (Member of the Management Board), Saskia Kuhnert (Production Manager)

Director: Wim Wenders

Film Production:
Wim Wenders (Screenplay, Director), Franz Lustig (Director of Photography), Clémentine Decremps (Editor), Laurent Petitgand (Music), Mirko Derpmann, Daniel Völker (Idea and Concept), Lisa Brunelle, Scholz & Friends Berlin GmbH, Keiko Olivia Tominaga, Wenders Images GbR, Maite Bengsch, Road Movies GmbH, Saskia Kuhnert, Scholz & Friends Broadcast (Production Management), Peter Britz, 1st AD, Keno Varban, 3rd AD (Assistant Directors), Stella Libert, 1st AC, Yannig Dumoulin, 2nd AC, Valence Martin de Compreignac, 3rd AC, Baptiste Marnière, DIT (Camera Department), Régis Muller (Sound), Peter Assmann, Mirco Lemke (Light), Tobias Sties (Styling), Theaterkunst Berlin, Adlershofer Fundus Berlin (Costumes), BASIS Berlin, Johannes Röckl (Colorist), Florian Beck (Re-recording mixer, bvft), Florian Holzner (Sound Design, bvft) (Post Production), Olivier Nowak (Titles)

Social Media and PR Consulting:
Scholz & Friends Berlin: Maija-Johanna Forys (Social Media Director), Anika Mijatović (Senior Social Media Manager), Johanna-Sophia Kober (PR Consultant), Tabea Tyroller (Social Media Manager)

Thanks to:
The students of the Lycée Franklin Roosevelt, Reims; Olivier Lubineau, Christophe Henrion, Vincent Turquin of the Lycée Franklin Roosevelt, Reims; Bénédicte Hernu and the Musée de la Reddition, Reims; Arnaud Robinet, Mayor of Reims and The City of Reims; Philipp Rößler and the German Embassy in France; Peter Ptassek and the Federal Foreign Office, Germany and Vantage Film