Biography
Werner Herzog (German: [ˈvɛɐ̯nɐ ˈhɛɐ̯tsoːk]; born 5 September 1942) is a German film director, screenwriter, author, actor, and opera director, regarded as a pioneer of New German Cinema. His films often feature ambitious protagonists with impossible dreams, people with unique talents in obscure fields, or individuals in conflict with nature. He is known for his unique filmmaking process, such as disregarding storyboards, emphasizing improvisation, and placing the cast and crew into similar situ...
Known For
Complete Filmography

The AGFA Mystery Mixtape Vault
2025
as Self
THE AGFA MYSTERY MIXTAPE VAULT is a 2-disc, 500-minute odyssey that collects eight feature-length VHS mixtapes from the crackpots at AGFA—including tw...

Reeling
2025
Executive Producer
A man mutters to himself, checks his to-do list, introduces himself to old friends, and grasps for a memory that always slips away. A pig slowly roast...

The End
2024
Executive Producer
Twenty-five years after environmental collapse left the Earth uninhabitable, Mother, Father and Son are confined to their palatial bunker, where they ...

About a Hero
2024
After a local factory worker named Dorem Clery dies under mysterious circumstances, Werner Herzog travels to Getunkirchenburg to investigate his perpl...

The Fire Within: Requiem for Katia and Maurice Krafft
2024
as Narrator (voice)
Filmmaker Werner Herzog combs through the film archives of volcanologists Katia and Maurice Krafft to create a film that celebrates their legacy.

The Fire Within: Requiem for Katia and Maurice Krafft
2024
Director, Writer
Filmmaker Werner Herzog combs through the film archives of volcanologists Katia and Maurice Krafft to create a film that celebrates their legacy.

Celebrating the Rice Media Center
2024
as Self (archival footage)
Through the Fondren Fellows program, the Rice Media Center Archive Project has spent the past few months sifting through material stored at the now-de...

Kinski
2024
as Self (Archive Footage)
Documentary film about the turbulent life and career of actor Klaus Kinski, a man whose genius was often overshadowed by his erratic behavior and inte...

Orion and the Dark
2024
as Narrator (voice)
A boy with an active imagination faces his fears on an unforgettable journey through the night with his new friend: a giant, smiling creature named Da...

The Arc of Oblivion
2023
as Narrator (voice)
"The Arc of Oblivion" explores a quirk of humankind: in a universe that erases its tracks, we humans are hellbent on leaving a trace. Set against the ...

The Arc of Oblivion
2023
Executive Producer
"The Arc of Oblivion" explores a quirk of humankind: in a universe that erases its tracks, we humans are hellbent on leaving a trace. Set against the ...

Notes from a Dromedary
2022
Creative Consultant
An adolescent on a remote place narrates his story marked by a past in the Sahara being a camel, Pringles fries, the desire for fat women’s bodies, st...

Werner Herzog - Radikaler Träumer
2022
as Self
With exclusive behind-the-scenes access into Herzog’s everyday life, rare archive material and in-depth interviews with celebrated collaborators – inc...

Tegoyo
2022
as Self (Voice)
In 1968 legendary filmmaker Werner Herzog shot in the island of Lanzarote his film Even Dwarfs Started Small. Fifty years later a rather peculiar scie...

Theater of Thought
2022
Director, Executive Producer, Screenplay
Werner Herzog sets his sights on yet another mysterious landscape — the human brain — for clues as to why a hunk of tissue can produce profound though...

Flores del precipicio
2022
Producer
Lucia has returned to the island where all the houses are white. Fifteen years have passed since the day she was taken away. Her father is waiting for...

Last Exit: Space
2022
as Narrator (voice)
Documentary about space colonization: a voyage across our planet, into the stars and beyond.

Last Exit: Space
2022
Executive Producer
Documentary about space colonization: a voyage across our planet, into the stars and beyond.

Nosferatu: A Film Like a Vampire
2022
as Self (archive footage)
From Murnau to Herzog, and until modern incarnations, a mischievous exploration of a cinematographic legendary character, with Nosferatu himself as a ...

El Poso
2022
Producer
After a failed suicide attempt, a woman wakes up on a strange beach with the ability to talk to rocks.

The Extravagant Little Life of Jean-Claude D. Dreyfus
2021
as Self (archive footage)
Self-taught magician, transformist at the Grande Eugène cabaret, man of theater, television and cinema, Jean-Claude D. Dreyfus has been dragging his i...

Hannelore Elsner: More Than One Life
2021
as Self (archive footage)

A Life for Movies: Lotte Eisner
2021
as Self
Born in Berlin in 1896, Lotte Eisner became famous for her passionate involvement in the world of both German and French cinema. In 1936, together wit...

Meteor: Sohrab Shahid Saless
2021
as Self
Meteor: Sohrab Shahid Saless by Mahmoud Behraznia is a documentary with a different perspective on Sohrab Shahid Saless, a leading Iranian filmmaker. ...

The Andinist
2020
as The Painter (Narrator)
An old painter recounts the story of when he met a strange mountain climber, or perhaps, an explorer from another world.

Dear Werner (Walking on Cinema)
2020
as Narrator (voice)
In 1974 Werner Herzog walked from Munich to Paris, an act of faith to prevent the death of his mentor Lotte Eisner. In 2020, a young filmmaker walks ...

Fireball: Visitors from Darker Worlds
2020
as Self - Narrator (voice)
This remarkable journey across our planet and universe explores how meteorites, shooting stars, and deep impacts have awoken our wonder about other re...

Fireball: Visitors from Darker Worlds
2020
Director, Writer
This remarkable journey across our planet and universe explores how meteorites, shooting stars, and deep impacts have awoken our wonder about other re...

Wim Wenders, Desperado
2020
as Self
"Wings Of Desire" and "Buena Vista Social Club", "Paris, Texas" and "The State Of Things": Wim Wenders is considered one of the pioneers of New German...

AGFA Mystery Mixtape #2: Later in L.A.
2020
as Self
Unleashed from the video vaults of the American Genre Film Archive (AGFA), AGFA MYSTERY MIXTAPE #2: LATER IN L.A. is a brand new compilation of the mo...

Family Romance, LLC
2019
Writer, Director, Director of Photography
Love is a business at Family Romance, a company that rents human stand-ins for any occasion. Founder Yuichi Ishii helps make his clients’ dreams come ...

90 Years of the Music Box Theatre
2019
as Self
Nominated for two Chicago/Midwest Emmy awards including Outstanding Historical Documentary and Outstanding Off-Camera Directing, "90 Years of the Musi...

Tattoo Uprising
2019
as Self
An examination of the artistic and historical roots of today's tattoo explosion.

Meeting Gorbachev
2019
as Self
Mikhail Gorbachev, former president of the Soviet Union, sits down with filmmaker Werner Herzog to discuss his many achievements. Topics include the t...

Meeting Gorbachev
2019
Director, Writer
Mikhail Gorbachev, former president of the Soviet Union, sits down with filmmaker Werner Herzog to discuss his many achievements. Topics include the t...

Nomad: In the Footsteps of Bruce Chatwin
2019
as Self - Interviewer and Narrator (voice)
When Bruce Chatwin was dying of AIDS, his friend Werner Herzog made a final visit. As a parting gift, Chatwin gave him his rucksack. Thirty years lat...

Nomad: In the Footsteps of Bruce Chatwin
2019
Director, Writer
When Bruce Chatwin was dying of AIDS, his friend Werner Herzog made a final visit. As a parting gift, Chatwin gave him his rucksack. Thirty years lat...

Jihad in Hollywood
2019
as Self
Once a successful Syrian actor, Jihad Abdo is now struggling as a refugee while trying to reinvent his life and rebuild his career.
Love Birds
2019
Consulting Producer
An American woman travels deep into to the Amazon jungle discouraged with her marriage & on a quest for adventure, nature and a new sense of belonging...

The Last Scene
2019
Executive Producer
The story of an indigenous Ese’eja child facing the death of his grandfather. During the two days that separate the two traditional funerals the child...

Manaslu: Mountain of Souls
2018
as Self
The great successes and tragedies in the life and work of Hans Kammerlander, the renowned mountaineer.

Paradox Bullets
2018
as Narrator (voice)
A short film which debuted in a secret location in London to coincide with the release of the NikeCraft x Tom Sachs Mars Yard Overshoe

The Great Buster: A Celebration
2018
as Self
A celebration of the life and career of one of America's most influential and celebrated filmmakers and comedians—Buster Keaton—whose singular style a...

I'm a Soldier
2018
as Self
Werner Herzog visited Beijing.

The Empty Goal
2018
Thanks
A man recounts the story of a local legend as he travels to the jungle to make peace with his life.

Film Beyond Cinema: The Dumpster Kid Experiment and Other Utopias
2018
as Self
For over half a century, the filmmaker Edgar Reitz, one of the signatories of the Oberhausen Manifesto and a pioneer of epic film narration, has explo...
The whole world is country
2018
Consulting Producer
The Rai fiction on Lucano and the Riace model that will never see the light.
The Golden Gate
2018
Executive Producer
A young charming mayor of a small South American port town proudly introducing his ambitious project that doesn't match the reality.

One Hundred Years with Juan Rulfo
2017
as Self
This documentary explores key moments in the life of writer Juan Rulfo, with artists such as Werner Herzog and Eduardo Galeano reflecting on his work.

A Gray State
2017
Executive Producer
In 2010 David Crowley, an Iraq veteran, aspiring filmmaker and charismatic up-and-coming voice in fringe politics, began production on his film Gray S...

Ballad of a Righteous Merchant
2017
as Self
Chronicles the making of director Werner Herzog’s 2009 feature, My Son, My Son, What Have Ye Done, providing profound insight into the director and hi...

The Man Who Killed John Wayne
2017
as Self (archive footage)

Salt and Fire
2016
as Man with One Story (uncredited)
A scientist blames the head of a large company for an ecological disaster in South America. But when a volcano begins to show signs of erupting, they ...

Salt and Fire
2016
Writer, Producer, Director
A scientist blames the head of a large company for an ecological disaster in South America. But when a volcano begins to show signs of erupting, they ...

Into the Inferno
2016
as Self
With stunning views of eruptions and lava flows, Werner Herzog captures the raw power of volcanoes and their ties to indigenous spiritual practices.

Into the Inferno
2016
Director, Writer
With stunning views of eruptions and lava flows, Werner Herzog captures the raw power of volcanoes and their ties to indigenous spiritual practices.

Lo and Behold: Reveries of the Connected World
2016
as Self
Werner Herzog's exploration of the Internet and the connected world.

Lo and Behold: Reveries of the Connected World
2016
Director, Producer, Writer
Werner Herzog's exploration of the Internet and the connected world.

The Blimp-Maker
2016
Thanks
For the past forty years, Igor Pasternak has pursued a lighter-than-air vision: to build gigantic airships that haul cargo to otherwise inaccessible p...

Jihad in Hollywood
2016
as Self
Once a successful Syrian actor, Jihad Abdo is now struggling as a refugee while trying to reinvent his life and rebuild his career.

Freaks of Nature
2015
as Perfect Being (voice)
In the town of Dillford, humans, vampires and zombies were all living in peace - until the alien apocalypse arrived. Now three teenagers-one human, on...

Queen of the Desert
2015
Director, Writer
A chronicle of Gertrude Bell's life, a traveler, writer, archaeologist, explorer, cartographer, and political attaché for the British Empire at the da...

Penguins of Madagascar
2014
as Documentary Filmmaker (voice)
Skipper, Kowalski, Rico and Private join forces with undercover organization The North Wind to stop the villainous Dr. Octavius Brine from destroying ...

Atari: Game Over
2014
as Self (archival)
The Xbox Originals documentary that chronicles the fall of the Atari Corporation through the lens of one of the biggest mysteries of all time, dubbed ...

The Look of Silence
2014
Executive Producer
An optician grapples with the Indonesian mass killings of 1965-1966, during which his older brother was exterminated.
Lemonade War
2014
as Neighborhood Hero
In an idyllic suburban neighborhood, Jerry runs his big business lemonade stand and has the market cornered, until ten-year-old Addie opens her own st...

Alfonso Sansone: Producer by Chance
2014
as Self (archive footage)
After the war, almost by chance, Alfonso Sansone starts to produce documentary films and moves from Palermo to Rome, the city of film.

Red Army
2014
Executive Producer
A documentary highlighting the Soviet Union's legendary and enigmatic hockey training culture and world-dominating team through the eyes of the team's...
Werner Herzog: On Death Row and Life as a Director
2014
as Self
Werner Herzog talks about making 'On Death Row' and life as a director.

Life Itself
2014
as Self - Filmmaker
The surprising and entertaining life of renowned film critic and social commentator Roger Ebert (1942-2013): his early days as a freewheeling bachelor...

The Unbelievers
2013
as Self
Scientists Richard Dawkins and Lawrence Krauss travel the globe promoting a scientific worldview and the rational questioning of religious belief.

Werner Herzog and Errol Morris on 'The Act of Killing'
2013
as Self
Directors Errol Morris and Werner Herzog describe and discuss the film The Act of Killing (2012).

An Appreciation of Les Blank by Werner Herzog
2013
as Self
Werner Herzog talking about his appreciation for Les Blank.

Home from Home – Chronicle of a Vision
2013
as Alexander von Humboldt
Follow-up to the TV trilogy “Heimat”, this time for cinemas, set again in the fictional village Schabbach in the Hunsrück region of Rhineland-Palatina...

Mistaken for Strangers
2013
as Self (uncredited)
Mistaken for Strangers follows The National on its biggest tour to date. Newbie roadie Tom (lead singer Matt Berninger’s younger brother) is a heavy m...

From One Second to the Next
2013
Director
Stories of serious traffic accidents caused by texting and driving are told by the perpetrators and surviving victims.

Jack Reacher: When the Man Comes Around
2013
as Self
Cast and crew speak on adapting One Shot as the first Jack Reacher film, casting Tom Cruise, earning Lee Child's blessing, additional character qualit...

The Last Shepherd
2013
Thanks
A journey through the incredible story of Renato Zucchelli, the last travelling shepherd living in a metropolis, who conquered the city with only his ...

Jack Reacher
2012
as Zec Chelovek
One morning in an ordinary town, five people are shot dead in a seemingly random attack. All evidence points to a single suspect: an ex-military snipe...

Strawberryland
2012
as Turnlehrer
A reconstruction, the replica of a complex emotional world made of desire and aggression: a teen film. Florian Pochlatko explores the agonies of adole...

The Act of Killing
2012
Executive Producer
In this chilling and groundbreaking documentary, former Indonesian death squad leaders reenact their real-life mass killings in the style of various f...

Close Up
2012
as Self (archive footage)
More than 150 silent short films about singers, actors and directors captured during Press Conferences in Cannes, Venice and Berlin, between 1993 and ...

10 Questions for Werner Herzog
2012
as Self
Interview with Werner Herzog during his visit to the Indiana University Cinema.

The Killers: Unstaged
2012
as Self
Following the band The Killers on road to and on stage in the Bronx, New York, in a series of American Express sponsored music documentaries.

The Killers: Unstaged
2012
Director
Following the band The Killers on road to and on stage in the Bronx, New York, in a series of American Express sponsored music documentaries.

Dubai Winter Diary VI: Light and Reflections
2012
as Self
Gérard Courant's "Filmed Diary" of December 14, 2011, produced in Dubai (United Arab Emirates). Between December 7 and 15, 2011, Gérard Courant was in...

Dinotasia
2012
as Narrator (voice)
Computer-generated animation about the daily lives of dinosaurs, narrated by Werner Herzog.

No Mr. Werner Herzog, this isn't your Cinématon
2012
as Self
A fake "Cinematon".

I, I, I José Lewgoy
2011
as Self
Documentary discussing the life and work of José Lewgoy, one of the most important Brazilian actors of all times.

Into the Abyss
2011
as Narrator (voice)
We do not know when and how we will die. Death Row inmates do. Werner Herzog embarks on a dialogue with Death Row inmates, asks questions about life a...

Into the Abyss
2011
Writer, Director, Producer
We do not know when and how we will die. Death Row inmates do. Werner Herzog embarks on a dialogue with Death Row inmates, asks questions about life a...

On Borrowed Time
2011
as Self
Auteur filmmaker Paul Cox contemplates his own mortality and his life's work as he wits for a life saving liver transplant.

Ode to the Dawn of Man
2011
Director, Cinematography, Sound
In Cave of Forgotten Dreams, celebrated German film director Werner Herzog gained exclusive access to film the 32,000 year old Chauvet caves, which co...

Champions: A Comic Tale
2011
as Self
A comic tale. The issue of film education has been a Gordian link for many years in Greece. Starting from the time of Stavrakos in 1950, the documenta...

Hans Zimmer: The Sound of Hollywood
2011
as Self
Documentary about Hans Zimmer.
Werner Herzog Defends Dade
2010
as Self
Werner Herzog shares his thoughts on Miami.

Cave of Forgotten Dreams
2010
as Narrator (voice)
Werner Herzog gains exclusive access to film inside the Chauvet caves of Southern France, capturing the oldest known pictorial creations of humankind ...

Cave of Forgotten Dreams
2010
Screenplay, Director
Werner Herzog gains exclusive access to film inside the Chauvet caves of Southern France, capturing the oldest known pictorial creations of humankind ...

Anyone who dares will take the cold off their horse
2010
as Self
When Herzog Rescued Phoenix
2010
as Narrator (voice)
Famed film director Werner Herzog recounts the time he rescued Joaquin Phoenix from lighting a deadly cigarette.

Happy People: A Year in the Taiga
2010
as Narrator (voice)
In the center of the story is the life of the indigenous people of the village Bakhtia at the river Yenisei in the Siberian Taiga. The camera follows ...

Happy People: A Year in the Taiga
2010
Executive Producer, Writer, Director
In the center of the story is the life of the indigenous people of the village Bakhtia at the river Yenisei in the Siberian Taiga. The camera follows ...
Behind the Madness: The Making of My Son, My Son
2010
as Self
The Making of 'My Son, My Son, What Have Ye Done'.

My Son, My Son, What Have Ye Done
2010
Screenplay, Director
Brad has committed murder and barricaded himself inside his house. With the help of his friends and neighbours, the cops piece together the strange ta...

I am My Films, Part 2... 30 Years Later
2010
as Self
Christian Weisenborn and Werner Herzog know each other for more than 40 years. His first film on Werner Herzog "I am my films" (1976-78) covered Herzo...

The Making of Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans
2010
as Himself
Behind the scenes documentary for Werner Herzog's Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans. Features interviews and on-set footage.
A Night Out
2010
Thanks, Technical Advisor
A weekly church bingo game in Greenpoint, Brooklyn provides a treasured night out for many of the neighborhood's liveliest elderly ladies.

Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call - New Orleans
2009
Director
Terrence McDonagh is a New Orleans Police sergeant, who receives a medal and a promotion to lieutenant for heroism during Hurricane Katrina. Due to hi...

Plastic Bag
2009
as Plastic Bag (voice)
A plastic bag, thrown out in the trash, attempts to find his way back to his owner and along the way discovers the world.

La Bohème
2009
Director
Part of a series of opera shorts by different directors. Herzog combines O Soave Fanciulla ("Oh you vision of beauty" from Puccini's La Boheme) with i...
The Lonely
2009
A documentary portrait of the filmmaker Harmony Korine during the production of his third feature film, Mister Lonely (2007). Shot on location in Scot...

Capturing Reality
2008
as Self
From cinema-verite; pioneers Albert Maysles and Joan Churchill to maverick movie makers like Errol Morris, Werner Herzog and Nick Broomfield, the worl...

40 x 15: The Forty Years of the Directors' Fortnight
2008
as Self
A hstory of the Cannes Film Festival's Director's Fortnight selection.

BLAST!
2008
as Narrator (voice)
With extraordinary access, BLAST exposes a world of risky, hardcore, scientific adventure. The story follows an international team of astrophysicists ...

Lohengrin: Bayreuth Festival Opera
2008
Stage Director
Richard Wagner's opera Lohengrin staged in 1987 by Werner Herzog in Bayreuth.

Bierbichler
2008
as Self
Documentary about actor Josef Bierbichler.

Counter Shot: Departure of the Filmmakers
2008
as Self

Mister Lonely
2008
as Father Umbrillo
In Paris, a young American who works as a Michael Jackson lookalike meets Marilyn Monroe, who invites him to her commune in Scotland, where she lives ...
Back to Room 666
2008
as Self (archive footage)
What is the future of cinema? In 1982, in Cannes, Wim Wenders invited many movie makers to answer this question. 26 years later, the question remains,...

Making of a True Story: Rescue Dawn
2007
as Self
"Rescue Dawn: The Making of a True Story" is a documentary film that provides a behind-the-scenes look at the production of the movie "Rescue Dawn" (2...

Pierre Rissient: Man of Cinema
2007
as Self
A veteran film critic explores the legacy of Cannes Film Festival regular Pierre Rissient.

Encounters at the End of the World
2007
as Narrator (voice)
Herzog and cinematographer Peter Zeitlinger go to Antarctica to meet people who live and work there, and to capture footage of the continent's unique ...

Encounters at the End of the World
2007
Director, Writer, Sound
Herzog and cinematographer Peter Zeitlinger go to Antarctica to meet people who live and work there, and to capture footage of the continent's unique ...
Munich (Filmfest) Stories - 25 years of Munich Filmfest
2007
as Self
A cheerful, amusing and melancholic look back at the Munich film festival from the perspective of the people who make up the film festival.

Rescue Dawn
2007
Director, Author
A US Fighter pilot's epic struggle of survival after being shot down on a mission over Laos during the Vietnam War.

The Grand
2007
as The German
The Grand is in the tradition of improvisational comedies like Best In Show and This Is Spinal Tap. The story is set in the world of professional poke...

All In This Tea
2007
During the 1990s, David Lee Hoffman searched throughout China for the finest teas. He's a California importer who, as a youth, lived in Asia for years...

The Devil's Muse
2007
Creative Consultant
A stark look at one of Hollywood's darkest mysteries, The Black Dalia (Elizabeth Short) Murder.

50 Films to See Before You Die
2006
as Self
Celebrating the relaunch of Film4 as a free-to-air TV channel, Channel4 counts down their list of the fop 50 films to see before you die, as compiled ...
Walking to Werner
2006
as Self (voice)
Linas Phillips pays tribute to Werner Herzog in his pledge to walk from Seattle, Washington to Herzog's Los Angeles home.

In the Edges: The 'Grizzly Man' Session
2005
as Self
With Herzog's direction, Richard Thompson leads a small group of musicians into creating Grizzly Man's evocative soundtrack.
Q & A with Jana Sevcikova and Werner Herzog
2005
as Self
Q & A with Jana Sevcikova and Werner Herzog.
Perpetuum Mobile: Voices in the Blue Space
2005
as Self
Legendary film director Werner Herzog brings together five shepherds and singers from the island of Sardinia in a Paris studio with a Senegalese singe...

The Wild Blue Yonder
2005
Screenplay, Director
An alien narrates the story of his dying planet, his and his people's visitations to Earth and Earth's self-made demise, while human astronauts in spa...

Grizzly Man
2005
as Self / Narrator (voice)
Werner Herzog's documentary film about the "Grizzly Man" Timothy Treadwell and what the thirteen summers in a National Park in Alaska were like in one...

Grizzly Man
2005
Director
Werner Herzog's documentary film about the "Grizzly Man" Timothy Treadwell and what the thirteen summers in a National Park in Alaska were like in one...
Dreams and Burdens
2005
as Self
A retrospective interview with director Werner Herzog.

What Is It?
2005
Thanks
A young man journeys through a bizarre land inhabited by mentally impaired people, demons, and snails.

Incident at Loch Ness
2004
as Self
When renowned director Werner Herzog and fellow filmmaker Zak Penn set off to explore the legend of Scotland's Loch Ness monster, they uncover much mo...

Incident at Loch Ness
2004
Producer
When renowned director Werner Herzog and fellow filmmaker Zak Penn set off to explore the legend of Scotland's Loch Ness monster, they uncover much mo...

The White Diamond
2004
as Narrator (voice)
This 2004 documentary by Werner Herzog diaries the struggle of a passionate English inventor to design and test a unique airship during its maiden fli...

The White Diamond
2004
Director, Screenplay
This 2004 documentary by Werner Herzog diaries the struggle of a passionate English inventor to design and test a unique airship during its maiden fli...

The Best of Tromadance Film Festival: Volume 3
2004
as Self (voice) ("Dribble" short)
In this third volume of the Best of Tromadance, viewers can sample fifteen of the best films from the 2003 and 2004 Film Festivals totally over three ...
Dribble
2004
as Self (voice)
Winner of the Tromadance/Kodak Independent Soul Award, Giuseppe Andrews’ Dribble is a short film set in the director's trailer park.

Wheel of Time
2003
as Narrator (voice)
Wheel of Time is Werner Herzog's photographed look at the largest Buddhist ritual in Bodh Gaya, India.

Wheel of Time
2003
Producer, Director, Writer
Wheel of Time is Werner Herzog's photographed look at the largest Buddhist ritual in Bodh Gaya, India.

Ten Minutes Older: The Trumpet
2002
Writer, Director
Ten Minutes Older is a 2002 film project consisting of two compilation feature films entitled The Trumpet and The Cello. The project was conceived by ...

The Boxing Prince
2002
as Self
The documentary tells the life story of the boxer Norbert Grupe, who was known by his fighting name Prince of Homburg.

Invincible
2001
Writer, Director, Producer
A Jewish strongman performs in Berlin as the blond Aryan hero Siegfried.

The 100 Greatest Films
2001
as Self
A countdown of the 100 greatest films, as voted by the British public via the Channel 4 website.

Pilgrimage
2001
Director
Accompanied only by music the film alternates between shots of pilgrims near the tomb of Saint Sergei in Sergiyev Posad, Russia and pilgrims at the Ba...
The Last Documentary
2000
as Self
Documentary by Jan Sebening and Daniel Sponsel.

Tannhäuser
2000
Stage Director
A romantic opera in three acts with music and libretto by Richard Wagner, performed by the Orchestra of the Teatro di San Carlo. The original title, T...
Klaus Kinski: I'm not an actor
2000
as Self
Klaus Kinski is one of the few German actors who has achieved international fame. He made headlines. And disappeared behind them. Kinski lived his par...

The Ball Is a Scumbag
2000
as Self
"Sometimes the ball is bewitched," says legendary soccer coach Rudi Gutendorf. He's the one who would know, after having coached 6 first division socc...

Wings of Hope
1999
as Self
Werner Herzog returns to the South American jungle with Juliane Koepcke, the German woman who was the sole survivor of a plane crash there in 1971. Th...

Wings of Hope
1999
Director, Writer
Werner Herzog returns to the South American jungle with Juliane Koepcke, the German woman who was the sole survivor of a plane crash there in 1971. Th...

Julien Donkey-Boy
1999
as Father
Undiagnosed, untreated and generally untethered schizophrenic Julien lives with his pregnant younger sister Pearl, anorexic would-be wrestler brother ...
A Brief History of Errol Morris
1999
as Self
This film tells the fascinating story of one of the most critically acclaimed careers in independent documentary film making in recent cinema history....

My Best Fiend
1999
as Self
A film that describes the love-hate relationship between Werner Herzog and Klaus Kinski, the deep trust between the director and the actor, and their ...

My Best Fiend
1999
Writer, Director
A film that describes the love-hate relationship between Werner Herzog and Klaus Kinski, the deep trust between the director and the actor, and their ...
In the Footsteps of Bruce Chatwin
1999
as Self
A strongly visual look at the life, work and obsessions od the writer Bruce Chatwin, who died of AIDS in 1989. Chatwin was hailed as the greatest nove...

What Dreams May Come
1998
as Face
Chris Nielsen dies to find himself in a heaven more amazing than he could have ever dreamed of. There is one thing missing: his wife. After he dies, h...

Little Dieter Needs to Fly
1997
as Narrator (voice)
Three decades after German-American pilot Dieter Dengler was shot down over Laos, he returns to the places where he was held prisoner during the early...

Little Dieter Needs to Fly
1997
Director, Writer
Three decades after German-American pilot Dieter Dengler was shot down over Laos, he returns to the places where he was held prisoner during the early...

Stardust Stricken: Mohsen Makhmalbaf, A Portrait
1996
as Self
Director Mohsen Makhmalbaf claims to have never seen a movie before making his first film. Doubtful as it sounds, this boast matches perfectly with th...

The Transformation of the World Into Music
1996
as Self
This film was prepared as a introduction to a series of opera broadcasts on German television. It depicts the behind-the-scenes manoeuvrings in prepar...

The Transformation of the World Into Music
1996
Director, Writer, Executive Producer
This film was prepared as a introduction to a series of opera broadcasts on German television. It depicts the behind-the-scenes manoeuvrings in prepar...

Gesualdo: Death for Five Voices
1995
as Narrator (voice)
Works, legend and murders of Carlo Gesualdo, a notorious Italian composer and murderer from 16th century.

Gesualdo: Death for Five Voices
1995
Director, Writer, Producer
Works, legend and murders of Carlo Gesualdo, a notorious Italian composer and murderer from 16th century.

Burning Heart
1995
Follows the life of the famous German politician, writer, and communist activist, Gustav Regler, from his birth in 1898, in the Saar, through the two ...

Dangerous Game
1993
as Self (archive footage) (uncredited)
A New York film director, working on his latest movie in Los Angeles, begins to reflect the actions in his movie and real life, especially when he beg...

Bells from the Deep
1993
as Narrator (voice)
A group of pilgrims lie down on the thin ice of the lake Svetloyar and begin to look for the city of Kitesh. According to the legend, God saved the ci...

Bells from the Deep
1993
Director, Writer
A group of pilgrims lie down on the thin ice of the lake Svetloyar and begin to look for the city of Kitesh. According to the legend, God saved the ci...

La Donna del Lago
1992
Director
Based on a narrative poem by Sir Walter Scott and set against the backdrop of feudal Scotland, "La Donna del Lago" is one of Gioacchini Rossini's fine...

Lessons of Darkness
1992
as Self - Narrator (voice)
Shortly after the Gulf War, oil fires were raging all through Kuwait. In the week before this sea of fire would be extinguished, Werner Herzog filmed ...

Lessons of Darkness
1992
Director, Writer, Executive Producer
Shortly after the Gulf War, oil fires were raging all through Kuwait. In the week before this sea of fire would be extinguished, Werner Herzog filmed ...

Film Hour
1991
as Self
Werner Herzog interviews guests on the art of filmmaking.

Film Hour
1991
Director
Werner Herzog interviews guests on the art of filmmaking.

Jag Mandir: The Eccentric Private Theatre of the Maharaja of Udaipur
1991
as Narrator (voice)
Jag Mandir is a quiet and often overlooked film in the vast oeuvre of Werner Herzog. Apparently, 20 hours of footage was shot that covered the whole f...

Jag Mandir: The Eccentric Private Theatre of the Maharaja of Udaipur
1991
Screenplay, Director, Producer
Jag Mandir is a quiet and often overlooked film in the vast oeuvre of Werner Herzog. Apparently, 20 hours of footage was shot that covered the whole f...
SnowwhiteRosered
1991
as Self
Documentary about the twin sister Jutta and Gisela Schmidt. In the late sixties the two women rebelled against middle class society as if they gave v...

Scream of Stone
1991
as TV-Regisseur
A meeting of two world famous climbers, one an experienced mountaineer the other a sport climber, and a journalist (Ivan) results in a bet on which of...

Scream of Stone
1991
Director
A meeting of two world famous climbers, one an experienced mountaineer the other a sport climber, and a journalist (Ivan) results in a bet on which of...

Echoes from a Sombre Empire
1990
as Self
Documentary examining Bokassa's rule in the Central African Republic using the testimony of witnesses and visits to key sites.

Echoes from a Sombre Empire
1990
Director, Writer, Producer
Documentary examining Bokassa's rule in the Central African Republic using the testimony of witnesses and visits to key sites.

Hard to Be a God
1990
as Mita / Richard
Another planet in the period of medieval times. An employee of the institute of experimental history from Earth, who is send under the name of noble d...
Russian Adventure. Peter Fleischmann is Filming "Hard to Be a God"
1990
as Self

Wodaabe: Herdsmen of the Sun
1989
as Narrator (voice)
Herzog's documentary of the Wodaabe people of the Sahara/Sahel region. Particular attention is given to the tribe's spectacular courtship rituals and ...

Wodaabe: Herdsmen of the Sun
1989
Director, Writer, Co-Producer
Herzog's documentary of the Wodaabe people of the Sahara/Sahel region. Particular attention is given to the tribe's spectacular courtship rituals and ...

Bride of the Orient
1989
as Businger
After the death of his mother, a lonely farmer in rural Switzerland considers finally starting a family of his own. Eventually he pays for a bride fro...
The Heart and the Legs
1989
as Self
The heart of the legs.

To the End of the World... and Then a Little Bit Further
1989
as Self
A documentation about Werner Herzog's motif to do movies.

Giovanna d'Arco
1989
Director
Director Werner Herzog, one of the most highly acclaimed German film makers, joins forces with the great Italian conductor Riccardo Chailly to effect ...

The French as Seen by…
1988
Director
In 1988, Figaro magazine asked a few famous directors to direct a series of short movies to celebrate the 10 years of the revue. The movies have been ...
The Gauls
1988
Director
Two segments make up this short film. The first portion called “The French” has two men taste testing some delicious wine, and the other, titled “The ...

Cobra Verde
1987
Director, Screenplay
A fearsome 19th century bandit, Cobra Verde cuts a swath through Brazil until he arrives at the sugar plantation of Don Octávio Countinho. Not knowing...

Location Africa
1987
as Self
Making-of documentary that covers "Cobra Verde," Herzog's last film with Kinski before Kinski's death. This is the documentary that registers the beh...

Location Africa
1987
Producer
Making-of documentary that covers "Cobra Verde," Herzog's last film with Kinski before Kinski's death. This is the documentary that registers the beh...

Portrait: Werner Herzog
1986
as Self
An autobiographical short film by Werner Herzog made in 1986. Herzog tells stories about his life and career. The film contains excerpts and commenta...

Portrait: Werner Herzog
1986
Director, Writer
An autobiographical short film by Werner Herzog made in 1986. Herzog tells stories about his life and career. The film contains excerpts and commenta...

Tokyo-Ga
1985
as Self
German director Wim Wenders tries to explore the Tokyo that was depicted in the films of Yasujiro Ozu and finds a very different city.

The Dark Glow of the Mountain
1985
as Self (voice)
Werner Herzog follows mountaineers Hans Kammerlander and Reinhold Messner during their expedition into climbing the Gasherbrum mountains, which has so...

The Dark Glow of the Mountain
1985
Director, Producer, Writer
Werner Herzog follows mountaineers Hans Kammerlander and Reinhold Messner during their expedition into climbing the Gasherbrum mountains, which has so...

Ballad of the Little Soldier
1984
as Self (voice)
A group of Miskito Indians use Nicaraguan child soldiers in their resistance against the Sandinistas.

Ballad of the Little Soldier
1984
Writer, Director, Producer
A group of Miskito Indians use Nicaraguan child soldiers in their resistance against the Sandinistas.

Where the Green Ants Dream
1984
as Lawyer (uncredited)
The Australian Aborigines (in this film anyway) believe that this is the place where the green ants go to dream, and that if their dreams are disturbe...

Where the Green Ants Dream
1984
Director, Producer, Writer
The Australian Aborigines (in this film anyway) believe that this is the place where the green ants go to dream, and that if their dreams are disturbe...

Man of Flowers
1983
as The Father
An eccentric elderly man tries to enjoy the three things in life that he considers real beauty: collecting art, collecting flowers, and watching prett...

Huie's Sermon
1983
Director
Reverend Huie Rogers is a preacher at the Bible Way Church of Our Lord Jesus Christ in Brooklyn. He is the topic of this short film, during which laun...

Burden of Dreams
1982
as Self - Filmmaker
The Amazon rain forest, 1979. The crew of Fitzcarraldo (1982), a film directed by German director Werner Herzog, soon finds itself with problems relat...

Room 666
1982
as Self
During the 1982 Cannes Film Festival, Wim Wenders asks a number of global film directors to, one at a time, go into a hotel room, turn on the camera a...

The South Bank Show: Werner Herzog
1982
as Self
Made around the time of Fitzcarraldo's release, this documentary follows Werner Herzog on a journey across France and Germany and sees the director ta...

Fitzcarraldo
1982
Director, Producer, Screenplay
Fitzcarraldo is a dreamer who plans to build an opera house in Iquitos, in the Peruvian Amazon, so, in order to finance his project, he embarks on an ...

God's Angry Man
1981
as Narrator (voice)
The documentary follows Gene Scott, famous televangelist involved with constant fights against FCC, who tried to shut down his TV show during the 1970...

God's Angry Man
1981
Director, Writer
The documentary follows Gene Scott, famous televangelist involved with constant fights against FCC, who tried to shut down his TV show during the 1970...

Werner Herzog Eats His Shoe
1980
as Self
Directors Werner Herzog and Errol Morris make a bet which results in Herzog living up to his promise that he would eat his shoe if Errol Morris ever c...

Werner Herzog Eats His Shoe
1980
Writer
Directors Werner Herzog and Errol Morris make a bet which results in Herzog living up to his promise that he would eat his shoe if Errol Morris ever c...

Garlic Is as Good as Ten Mothers
1980
as Self - Film Director: Nosferatu
A zesty paean of praise to the greater glories of garlic. This lip-smacking foray into the history, consumption, cultivation and culinary/curative pow...

The Making of 'Nosferatu'
1979
as Self
Werner Herzog discusses the making of "Nosferatu" on set.

Woyzeck
1979
Screenplay, Director
Having fathered an illegitimate child with his lover, Marie, feckless soldier Franz Woyzeck takes odd jobs around his small town to provide some extra...

I Am My Films: A Portrait of Werner Herzog
1979
as Self
Interview film with German director Werner Herzog revisiting the films he made up to ca. 1977.

Scénario de 'Sauve qui peut la vie'
1979
as Self (archive footage) (uncredited)
Jean-Luc Godard proposes a diary of his creative process. Looking at photos of three actors, Jacques Dutronc, Isabelle Huppert, and Miou-Miou, who wer...

Nosferatu the Vampyre
1979
Director, Producer, Writer
A real estate agent leaves behind his beautiful wife to go to Transylvania to visit the mysterious Count Dracula and formalize the purchase of a prope...

La Soufrière: Waiting for an Inevitable Catastrophe
1977
as Narrator (voice)
Werner Herzog takes a film crew to the island of Guadeloupe when he hears that the volcano on the island is going to erupt. Everyone has left, except ...

La Soufrière: Waiting for an Inevitable Catastrophe
1977
Director, Sound Engineer, Producer
Werner Herzog takes a film crew to the island of Guadeloupe when he hears that the volcano on the island is going to erupt. Everyone has left, except ...

Stroszek
1977
Director, Screenplay, Producer
Bruno Stroszek is released from prison and warned to stop drinking. He has few skills and fewer expectations: with a glockenspiel and an accordion, he...

Journey Through History
1977
as Self
A journey through history

Signs of Vigorous Life: The New German Cinema
1976
as Self
BBC documentary about the rise of the New German Cinema and several of its most important figures.

Heart of Glass
1976
as Glass Transporter
A small Bavarian village is renowned for its "Ruby Glass" glass blowing works. When the foreman of the works dies suddenly without revealing the secre...

Heart of Glass
1976
Writer, Director, Producer
A small Bavarian village is renowned for its "Ruby Glass" glass blowing works. When the foreman of the works dies suddenly without revealing the secre...

How Much Wood Would a Woodchuck Chuck
1976
as Self
A documentary short examining the language and performance of auctioneering, filmed at the World Livestock Auctioneer Championship in Pennsylvania.

How Much Wood Would a Woodchuck Chuck
1976
Director, Producer, Sound
A documentary short examining the language and performance of auctioneering, filmed at the World Livestock Auctioneer Championship in Pennsylvania.

No One Will Play with Me
1976
Director, Writer
A darkly humorous short documentary about a preschool-age boy ostracised from interactions with his classmates until a girl who has become interested ...

Lost in the Garden of the World
1975
as Self
Cannes is the town in France where Bergman meets bikinis, and the art of filmmaking meets the art of the deal. In 1975, a group of expat Kiwis managed...

The Enigma of Kaspar Hauser
1974
Producer, Director, Screenplay
The film follows Kaspar Hauser (Bruno S.), who lived the first seventeen years of his life chained in a tiny cellar with only a toy horse to occupy hi...

The Great Ecstasy of Woodcarver Steiner
1974
as Self
A study of the psychology of a champion ski-flyer, whose full-time occupation is carpentry.

The Great Ecstasy of Woodcarver Steiner
1974
Director, Screenplay, Producer
A study of the psychology of a champion ski-flyer, whose full-time occupation is carpentry.

Aguirre, the Wrath of God
1972
Producer, Director, Writer
A few decades after the destruction of the Inca Empire, a Spanish expedition led by the infamous Aguirre leaves the mountains of Peru and goes down th...

Land of Silence and Darkness
1971
Screenplay, Director, Producer
Through examining Fini Straubinger, an old woman who has been deaf and blind since her teens, and her work on behalf of other deaf-blind people, this ...

Fata Morgana
1971
Director, Screenplay, Sound
Shot under extreme conditions and inspired by Mayan creation theory, the film contemplates the illusion of reality and the possibility of capturing fo...

Tales of the Dumpster Kid
1971
as Hurenmörder
The Dumpster Kid is an artistic creation: in every story society forces her to learn something. But she, fully grown from the moment of her birth, unq...

Handicapped Future
1971
Director, Sound Recordist, Producer
A documentary by Werner Herzog exploring the different treatment accorded to the disabled in Germany and the USA.

Even Dwarfs Started Small
1970
Producer, Screenplay, Director
A group of tormented patients stage a coup at an oppressive, dismal asylum after they're not allowed out on an excursion.

The Flying Doctors of East Africa
1970
Director, Writer, Sound Recordist
The Flying Doctors of East Africa (German: Die Fliegenden Ärzte von Ostafrika) is a 1969 documentary film by Werner Herzog about the "flying doctors" ...

Precautions Against Fanatics
1969
Director, Producer, Writer
The film features several horse trainers and other track workers talking about their roles at the track, always eventually interrupted by an older man...

Signs of Life
1968
as Soldier (uncredited)
During World War II, three German soldiers are withdrawn from combat when one of them, Stroszek, is wounded. They are assigned to a small coastal comm...

Signs of Life
1968
Writer, Director, Producer
During World War II, three German soldiers are withdrawn from combat when one of them, Stroszek, is wounded. They are assigned to a small coastal comm...

Die Erben von Papas Kino
1968
Documentary by Wilhelm Roth about the state of affairs of the Young German Cinema.

Last Words
1968
Director, Screenplay, Producer
Early short by Werner Herzog shot while being on location in Greece shooting "Lebenszeichen".

The Unprecedented Defence of the Fortress Deutschkreuz
1967
Director, Editor, Screenplay
A satire on war and on the stupid things war inspires people to do. Four young men enter an abandoned fortress. Inside, they find military uniforms, w...

Neuer Deutscher Film Report
1967
Interview film with the protagonists of the New German Cinema in 1966.

Herakles
1962
Director, Editor, Sound
Basically, 'Herakles' is an omnium-gatherum of film clips depicting images of machismo. Some of those images are explicitly macho: we see various body...
Jösta Hagelbäck & Werner Herzog
N/A
as Self
Director Jösta Hagelbäck speaks on the importance of Werner Herzog.
Tales from the Opera
N/A
as Director
Tales of opera.
Shards of Cinema and Philosophy
N/A
as Self
Inspired by the "The wind of cinema" festival which every year deals with issues relating to the relationship between cinema and philosophy, it shows ...

The Valley
N/A
The story will reportedly follow an invertebrate deep-sea fish who believes he’s suffering from spinal disk herniation.

The hunger in the world explained to my son
N/A
Writer
Every five seconds a child under the age of ten dies of hunger. Every four minutes a person loses their sight due to a lack of vitamin A. According to...

The Twilight World
N/A
Director, Novel
An adaptation on the novel that tells the story of the Japanese soldier Hiro Onoda who, after the end of World War II, hid in the jungles for 30 years...

Bucking Fastard
N/A
Writer, Director
The story of two inseparable twin sisters, “Joan” and “Jean”, who live on the fringes of society. The film is inspired by the British identical twins ...
The Ghost Elephants
N/A
Director
Follows a mysterious herd of ghost elephants in the jungles of Angola.