Werner Herzog to be President of the Jury of the 60th Berlinale

Werner Herzog, one of the most important filmmakers of Auteur Cinema, will be the President of the International Jury at the Berlinale 2010.

As one of the most significant personalities of New German Cinema, he has influenced an entire generation of filmmakers. In his almost 50-year career, Herzog has made over 50 films, which include not only his well-known feature films, but an array of impressive documentary films as well. He has also made a name for himself as an opera director, writer, producer and actor and established his Rogue Film School for up-and-coming young filmmakers. In 2009, TIME Magazine selected Werner Herzog as one of its 100 most influential people worldwide.

“Werner Herzog’s films convey the artistic strength of cinema. We are very pleased to have this outstanding director as Jury President for the 60th anniversary of the festival”, says Berlinale Director, Dieter Kosslick.

For his debut feature film, Signs of Life (1968), he was awarded a Silver Bear for the best first film at the Berlinale 1968 as well as the German Film Prize for Best First Film. Herzog’s body of work includes international feature films such as Aguirre: The Wrath of God (1972), The Enigma of Kaspar Hauser (Special Jury Prize, Cannes 1975), Nosferatu The Vampyre (1979), Fitzcarraldo (1982, Silver Palm in Cannes for Best Director), Cobra Verde (1987) and Rescue Dawn (2006), as well as numerous documentaries, including Grizzly Man (2005) and Encounters at the End of the World (2007), for which he received an Oscar nomination. In 1999, Herzog made My Best Fiend, a documentary film about his work with Klaus Kinski, who was the leading actor in five of his films. Since the mid-80’s, Werner Herzog has dedicated himself to opera and presented his productions at the Bayreuth Festival and at La Scala in Milan, amongst others. In the past years he has also worked increasingly as an actor, for example in Harmony Korine’s Julien Donkey Boy (1999).

Werner Herzog has been honored with numerous awards from major international film festivals. At the Berlinale, he has presented two films in the Competition, Signs of Life in 1968 and Nosferatu The Vampyre in 1979. In 2009, he had two films in competition at the Venice International Film Festival: My Son, My Son, What Have Ye Done (2009) and Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans (2009).

Werner Herzog has recently donated his collection of screenplays, photos, posters, production materials and props for archiving and care to the Deutsche Kinemathek – Museum für Film und Fernsehen.