Alongside Rainer Werner Fassbinder and Werner Herzog, Wim Wenders is one of the most prominent authors of New German cinema. Born in 1945 in Dusseldorf, he studied in Munich, earning major acclaim with the adaptation of Peter Handke's novel The Goalie's Anxiety at the Penalty Kick (1972), screened at the Film Festival in Venice. Alice in the Cities (1974) is the first part of a road film trilogy, rounded up with Kings of the Road (1977). Wenders would often return to the genre later in his career, particularly with the film odyssey Paris, Texas (1984) co-written by American playwright Sam Shepard. This film brought him the Golden Palm in Cannes. Before that, Wenders indicated his interest in the American culture with the adaptation of Patricia Highsmith's novel The Talented Mr. Ripley. In The American Friend (1974), Dennis Hopper as the leading role (from the novel) is joined by gangsters played by American directors Samuel Fuller and Nicholas Ray. Wenders also made documentary films. Buena Vista Social Club (1999) brought international fame to an old Cuban band from the time before the revolution. Pope Francis: A Man of His Word, his latest film, competed for the documentary film award Golden Eye at the Film Festival in Cannes.