April 8 (UPI) — German filmmaker Werner Herzog was announced as the recipient of the Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement award at the 82nd Venice International Film Festival.
The festival, scheduled for Aug. 27-Sept. 6 as part of La Biennale di Venezia, will see Herzog officially presented with the award, after the board of directors accepted the recommendation of Alberto Barbera, the festival’s artistic director.
Herzog is known for directing films including Signs of Life; Nosferatu the Vampyre; Aguirre, the Wrath of God; Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans and Grizzly Man. His acting credits include The Mandalorian, Parks & Recreation and the film Jack Reacher.
“I feel deeply honored to receive a Lifetime Achievement Honorary Golden Lion by the Venice Biennale,” Herzog said in a statement. “I have always tried to be a Good Soldier of Cinema, and this feels like a medal for my work. Thank you. However, I have not gone into retirement. I work as always.”
#BiennaleCinema2025 The Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement of #Venezia82 goes to the great German director #WernerHerzog.
“I feel deeply honoured to receive a Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement by #LaBiennaleDiVenezia. I have always tried to be a Good Soldier of Cinema, and… pic.twitter.com/fRJJvlajgI— La Biennale di Venezia (@la_Biennale) April 8, 2025
Herzog has just completed a documentary called Ghost Elephants in Africa and is starting filming for his next feature film, Bucking Fastard, in Ireland.
“I am developing an animated film, based on my novel, The Twilight World, and I am acting the voice of a creature in Bong Joon Ho’s upcoming animated film. I am not done yet,” Herzog said.
Barbera praised Herzog as “a physical filmmaker and indefatigable hiker.”
“Herzog constantly crosses the planet Earth pursuing hitherto unseen images, testing our ability to look, challenging us to grasp what lies beyond the appearance of reality and probing the limits of filmic representation in an unflagging search for a higher, ecstatic truth and new sensorial experiences,” the artistic director said.
