Werner Herzog Receives Golden Lion Lifetime Award Venice Film Festival

At the 82nd Venice Film Festival, Francis Ford Coppola honored Werner Herzog with the Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement during the opening ceremony, marking Coppola's first public appearance since a recent heart procedure. Herzog, a pioneering figure of New German Cinema known for films like 'Aguirre, the Wrath of God' and 'Fitzcarraldo,' was praised by Coppola as an 'unlimited phenomenon' who continually challenges cinematic boundaries. Herzog's latest documentary, 'Ghost Elephants,' about a mysterious herd in Angola, premiered out of competition, and he also held a masterclass at the festival. Festival director Alberto Barbera highlighted Herzog's relentless exploration of film language and his visionary humanism. Coppola, a five-time Oscar winner who received the Golden Lion himself in 1992, was also celebrated with a documentary titled 'Megadoc' about his passion project 'Megalopolis,' screened in the Venice Classics section. Their decades-long friendship and mutual support were noted as a poignant backdrop to the tribute.