Herzog to lead masterclass at Rio’s 4+1 fest

October 18, 2012 by Kevin Ritchie

Filmmaker Werner Herzog (pictured) is to be the guest of honor at the third annual 4+1 Film Festival, which is held simultaneously in Bogota, Buenos Aires, Mexico City, Madrid and Rio de Janeiro from November 21-25.

The Grizzly Man and Cave of Forgotten Dreams director will be on hand at the festival’s headquarters in Rio where he will attend a retrospective of his work and give a masterclass on his views on culture, which he describes as “the collective agitation of the mind.”

“In choosing Herzog as the guest of honor,” said programmer Gonzalo de Pedro Amatria said in a statement, “the festival wanted to pay tribute both to his ability to surprise, his steadfastness in refusing to follow fads and staying true to himself, and also to his unique understanding of cinema which seems to secretly link poetry, documentary and science fiction together.”

The retrospective will include a mix of Herzog’s well-known and lesser-known films, including Herakles (1962), La Soufrière (1977), The Great Ecstasy of Woodcarver Steiner (1973), My Best Fiend (1999), and his most recent film Into the Abyss (2011).

The masterclass, entitled ‘A Meeting with Werner Herzog,’ will take place at the Banco do Brasil Cultural Center in Rio de Janeiro on November 22. It will make use of images, music and music videos in order to create “a hectic session full of fantasies and excitement, a session saturated with life and ideas, films and enthusiasm.”

Herzog will cover his concepts of art, culture and film, and recount his experiences working with Klaus Kinski and Mick Jagger, the festival said.

Tags: 4+1 Film Festival, Gonzalo de Pedro Amatria, Werner Herzog