Werner Herzog

One of the most eccentric figures in New German Cinema, Herzog grew up in remote post-war Bavaria with no access to television, cinema or even telephones. “For me it's all movies,” says Herzog, who makes little distinction between his documentaries and narrative feature films. “It’s all invented… I tell the story in a way where I’m searching, not for just the facts...(but) something that is way beyond facts…an ecstasy of truth, as I sometimes call it.” A powerful authorial presence marks all his films — documentaries like Grizzly Man and Little Dieter Needs to Fly and dramatic features like Aguire, Wrath of God and Fitzcarraldo. His protagonists are often obsessive outsiders, pitted against insurmountable forces of nature, and an atmosphere of romantic nihilism pervades much of his work. He also directs opera. Herzog refers to cinéma vérité as the “cinema of accountants.”

Selected Filmography

Encounter At The End Of The World (2007)

Grizzly Man (2005)
Sundance Film Festival — Alfred P Sloan Prize
Los Angeles Film Critics Association — Best Documentary/Non-fiction Film
Directors Guild of America — Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Documentary

The Wild Blue Yonder (2005)
Venice Film Festival — FIPRECSI Prize

Little Dieter Needs to Fly (1997)
Amsterdam International Documentary Film Festival — Special Jury Award
International Documentary Association — IDA Award for Feature Documentary
San Francisco International Film Festival — Golden Spire

Lessons of Darkness (1992)
Melbourne International Film Festival — Grand Prize

Fitzcarraldo (1982)
Cannes Film Festival — Best Director

Aguire, Wrath of God (1972)
César Awards, France — Best Foreign Film

Herakles (1962)