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Werner Herzog

German film director Werner Herzog, born in 1942, is considered one of the most influential figures of the New German Cinema movement.

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All Content on this topic

Edgar Reitz holds up an award, ocean in the background.

'Heimat' director Edgar Reitz turns 90

Reitz's epic 1984 "Heimat" films heralded a new era in German film. From then on, history was portrayed differently.
CultureOctober 31, 2022
Werner Herzog holding a clapperboard

Werner Herzog: From mountain farm to Hollywood

The influential filmmaker, now 80, reveals how he developed his fascination for the edges of the world in his memoirs.
CultureSeptember 4, 2022
Close-up of Mikhail Gorbachev wearing glasses, announcing his resignation on on December 25, 1991

Mikhail Gorbachev's pop culture legacy

Mikhail Gorbachev became an unlikely cultural icon, appearing in Pizza Hut and Louis Vuitton ads and winning a Grammy.
CultureAugust 31, 2022
Kinski strangles Herzog

Werner Herzog: The extreme is his normal

The German director spoke to DW about useless film schools, his personal limits and why lifetime awards feel strange.
CultureJanuary 10, 2020
Werner Herzog

Werner Herzog: A selection of cult films

As Werner Herzog is honored with the European Film Academy Lifetime Achievement Award, here's a selection of his films.
FilmDecember 5, 201913 images
Werner Herzog

10 Bavarian filmmakers

For many cinema enthusiasts, Munich is Germany's secret film capital. Here's 10 great Bavarian-born film directors.
CultureJuly 3, 201810 images
Still from "The Virgin Suicides"

KINO favorites: 7 great directing debuts

Low budget productions that launched stellar careers: DW's KINO team picks its seven favorite directorial debuts.
CultureNovember 24, 2017
Werner Herzog

Genre-jumping director Werner Herzog turns 75

Werner Herzog, the adventurer of German cinema, has moved effortlessly between documentary and feature films.
CultureSeptember 4, 2017
Film "Salt and Fire": Der Vulkan, auf dem wir (noch) leben

An outlandish quest: Werner Herzog's 'Salt and Fire'

Werner Herzog's eco-thriller features an abducted scientist fending for her life in a salt desert in Bolivia.
FilmDecember 7, 2016
Hofer Filmtage

Germany's most unique film festival marks 50 years

The Hof International Film Festival is held in a tiny Bavarian village, but draws names as big as Werner Herzog.
CultureOctober 25, 2016
Film still from Loa and Behold by Werner Herzog, Copyright: Magnolia Pictures

Web critic Werner Herzog explores digital future

Werner Herzog even met with Silicon Valley giant Elon Musk for his latest film on the future of the digital revolution.
August 19, 2016
Kino Favoriten Kino #25 best German Dramas Das Leben der Anderen

KINO favorites: Top 10 German dramas

In a new series, DW's cinema team picks the best German-language films of all time.
July 8, 2016
Christian Oliver, copyright: Correll

Can German film get a foot in Hollywood's door?

Hollywood remains an elusive dream for many Germans who work in the film industry.
March 1, 2016
Werner Herzog, Copyright: picture-alliance/ dpa

Werner Herzog slams 'stupid' social media at Sundance

"I've never seen a single tweet that I found interesting at all," said German film director Werner Herzog.
January 26, 2016
Nicole Kidman in "Queen of the Desert," Copyright: "2015 PROKINO Filmverleih GmbH

Why Kidman couldn't save Herzog's 'Queen of the Desert'

Werner Herzog could've explained how a female archeologist helped shape modern-day Iraq and Syria - but he didn't.
September 3, 2015
Filmstill Königin der Wüste EINSCHRÄNKUNG

'Queen of the Desert': Archeologist and spy ahead of her time

Werner Herzog's latest film, starring Nicole Kidman, tells of a woman who explored the Middle East 100 years ago.
CultureSeptember 3, 20156 images
Berlinale director Dieter Kosslick, Copyright: AP Photo/Michael Sohn

Berlinale jury

The creator of 'Mad Men' and actress Audrey Tautou are on this year's panel.
January 27, 2015
The Golden Leopard award (Photo: EPA/JEAN-CHRISTOPHE BOTT )

Lion in Locarno

A Catalan film about a Venetian womanizer wins the top prize at the Locarno Film Festival.
August 18, 2013
German Film Director Werner Herzog

Herzog turns 70

The German filmmaker rejects the constraints of the studio, preferring to film on location.
September 5, 2012
Opinion

Berlin Film Festival

The Berlinale should drop the fluff and set its sights higher, says DW's Jochen Kuerten.
February 22, 2010

German Film Legend

Enfant terrible of New German Cinema, Fassbinder is still controversial 25 years after his death.
June 10, 2007

German Films to Compete at Sundance

The world's top independent movie festival, the Sundance Film Festival, has introduced a world cinema category and two German movies -- a feature and a documentary -- are included in the line-up.
November 30, 2004

The "Madman On Duty"

Ten years after his death, the opinions on Klaus Kinski are still divided. Was he insane, or was he a genius? The Film Museum in Düsseldorf has just opened an exhibit to try to show how complex and multifaceted he was.
February 19, 2002