German filmmaker sends message to Cinema Verite

Acclaimed German filmmaker, screenwriter, author and actor Werner Herzog, in a message to the 14th edition of ‘Cinema Verite’ described Iran as a country with a 5,000-year-old tradition of poetry, saying "I love Iran."

Werner Herzog, who is a famous figure of the New German Cinema, wrote in his message to Cinema Verite (Annual Iran Int’l Documentary Film Festival underway in Tehran) that Iran has very great filmmakers, expressing hope that he could travel to Iran in near future.

"I have always preached “Cinema Verite”. Truth lies beyond the sheer facts, lies somewhere in a mysterious area that cannot really be defined," he wrote.

Herzog also said the Iranian films have found something "which enlightens us" and wished best of luck for the Cinema Verite.

French filmmaker François Truffaut once called Herzog "the most important film director alive."

American film critic Roger Ebert said that Herzog "has never created a single film that is compromised, shameful, made for pragmatic reasons, or uninteresting. Even his failures are spectacular." He was named one of the world's 100 most influential people by Time magazine in 2009.

Herzog's films have received considerable critical acclaim and achieved popularity on the art house circuit. They have also been the subject of controversy in regard to their themes and messages, especially the circumstances surrounding their creation.

The 14th edition of Cinema Verite, at the helm of Mohammad Hamidi-Moqadam, is underway in Tehran in an online format till December 22, 2020.

The Documentary and Experimental Film Center (DEFC) organizes the festival which showcases the very best of the documentary world to bridge the gap what they term between reality and truth.

Cinema Verite has several sections, including National, International, and Martyr Avini Prize, Entrepreneurship Documentary Competition, Coronavirus Special Section, Side Sections and commemorations.

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