Werner Herzog's Wild Ride: Ghost Elephants, Instagram Debut, and Blunt Filmmaking Advice

Werner Herzog BioSnap a weekly updated Biography. Werner Herzog just made waves at the Venice Film Festival where he premiered his latest documentary Ghost Elephants and received the prestigious Honorary Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement. The eighty-two-year-old German master followed conservationist Steve Boyes into the Angolan highlands searching for a mythical herd of giant elephants in what Herzog described as feeling like the hunt for Moby Dick. National Geographic Documentary Films quickly snapped up worldwide streaming rights, with the film set to premiere on Disney Plus and Hulu in 2026. In a masterclass at Venice that had the film world buzzing, Herzog delivered characteristically blunt advice to aspiring filmmakers, telling them they need to know how to forge shooting permits in military dictatorships and pick locks, declaring that to make films you have to be a borderline criminal. He also revealed he only watches five or six films per year, preferring to read books instead, and shared that back in 2009 he achieved the rare feat of having two films in competition at Venice simultaneously. Perhaps most surprising for a director known for shunning modern technology, Herzog just joined Instagram this week with his first post showing him grilling a steak over coals in a forest clearing. In the video he explained that while he does not use a cellphone, he felt he should share his work and everyday things with followers, marking a significant shift for someone who has long avoided social media. Meanwhile Herzog has been busy shooting his next feature film Bucking Fastard in Ireland starring sisters Kate and Rooney Mara, and he is developing an animated adaptation of his novel The Twilight World. He has also been cast as a voice actor in Bong Joon Ho's upcoming animated film about deep-sea creatures. Herzog appeared at the IUCN Congress where Ghost Elephants screened, and he is scheduled to appear in conversation with Larry Wilmore in Los Angeles on November third to discuss his new book The Future of Truth, which explores finding truth in our post-truth era amid deepfake AI videos and fake news. Get the best deals https://amzn.to/3ODvOta This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI.