The German film director and producer made his first cinematic steps at the age of 14. He received his training at the Hochschule für Schauspielkunst "Ernst Busch" Berlin and the Hochschule für Fernsehen und Film Munich. He worked as co-director, co-writer and producer with Wim Wenders. Helmer is, among other things, a member of the European Film Academy and teaches at various film schools, including in Beirut, Tbilisi, Djakarta, Tashkent and Bogotá.