Many directors of different generations have found ways to embrace social media in unique ways: Sean Baker is on Letterboxd; Guillermo del Toro is on X; hell, even Martin Scorsese has been lured into the world of TikTok. Now, Werner Herzog has joined Instagram, signing up for an account with the intent on sharing his creative process and portions of his life.
In his first-ever reel, the eclectic director told his followers, “My name is Werner Herzog. I have been asked why I am not present in the media, in the social media. But I am not using a cellphone or anything like that. But I had the feeling, I should share work and everyday things with you. And so I’m opening an Instagram account for you.”
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There aren’t too many 82-year-olds just now signing up for social media accounts, but with Werner Herzog’s promise to bring his fans closer into his life and work, no doubt he’ll be attracting a loyal fanbase. Certainly Werner Herzog is an immediate follow for most of us – and he’s already up to around a quarter-million followers as of publication. As it stands, he is not following anyone else – but then again, has he ever?
Werner Herzog kicked off his career in the late 1960s, soon after marking himself as one of the unique visionaries in all of cinema, with 1970’s Even Dwarfs Started Small still standing as one of the strangest movie ever made. He would go on to make some of the most heralded films in world cinema, including Aguirre, the Wrath of God, Fitzcarraldo, Stroszek, and Nosferatu the Vampyre – and that’s not even naming his acclaimed documentaries which made made up the bulk of his filmography.
Werner Herzog’s next film, Bucking Fastard, stars Orlando Bloom, Rooney sisters Kate and Mara, and Domhnall Gleeson. On the film, Herzog called back to Fitzcarraldo and Grizzly Man saying Bucking Fastard completes “an operatic triptych.” As for the plot, it tells of “two sisters who are so close to each other that they speak in unison, love the same man, and have the same dreams. They even make the same slip of tongue in unison. In search of an imaginary land, the Orkneys – where true love is possible – they start digging a tunnel through an entire mountain range.”
Are you following Werner Herzog on Instagram yet? What sort of content do you want to see him post?
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