Werner Herzog BioSnap a weekly updated Biography.

Francis Ford Coppola lit up the Venice Film Festival’s opening night by presenting me, Werner Herzog, with the Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement in a ceremony that buzzed with cinematic history. Coppola’s heartfelt speech calling me "an unlimited phenomenon" and declaring, "If Werner has limits, I don’t know what they are," captured headlines from The Hollywood Reporter and Variety. Our red-carpet stroll together became an instant festival highlight, a moment neither of us nor the assembled press will soon forget. But the real news? Venice also marked the premiere of my latest documentary Ghost Elephants, a film chronicling National Geographic Explorer Steve Boyes’s hunt for a rumored herd of gigantic, possibly undocumented elephants in the Angola highlands. As noted by The Guardian and Deadline, the film was lauded for its obsessive quest and its meditative Herzogian flourishes, while Rotten Tomatoes reports that early reviews are unanimously positive so far. The audience response at Venice was such that National Geographic leapt at the global rights, with plans for a theatrical run and a Disney+ streaming premiere in 2026, as reported by The Hollywood Reporter and Showbiz Junkies.

As if all this festival glory were not enough, the past days saw a sudden pop-cultural jolt: I, long denounced as a techno-skeptic, officially joined Instagram. The first video post — featuring me grilling steak in a forest clearing while explaining that "I am not present in the media, in social media," but that now "I should share work and everyday things with you" — was seized on by The Hollywood Reporter and Worldcrunch as a delightful surprise, with social media buzzing about my entrance to the platform. The phrase "Herzog on Instagram" was trending briefly, with users speculating on what strange and poetic content might emerge. For a man generally associated with the wilderness, existential dread, and cinematic grandeur, opening a social account—not to hawk products, but to share art and daily reflections—felt both subversive and inevitable.

Looking forward, my Venice masterclass generated substantial interest, with Variety reporting that my next feature, Bucking Fastard, starring Kate and Rooney Mara, is already in postproduction. Rumors about additional surprise projects are circulating, but none have been confirmed by credible industry press. No major business ventures or sponsorships have surfaced in the past days, and my public activity is still firmly centered on filmmaking, festivals, and now selective digital engagement. All in all, a week both distinguished by honors and energized by unexpected new beginnings.

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