Werner Herzog’s participation in the Azorean festival is part of a collaboration with the Spanish production company Extática Cine, bringing the director to the Azores for a filmmaking mentorship workshop with 50 filmmakers from around the world, from January 14 to 24.
Taking advantage of Herzog’s visit to São Miguel Island, the Azorean International Film Festival has included a two-hour masterclass by the German director in its program on January 25, preceded by the screening of his latest documentary, ‘Ghost Elephants’, which premiered at the 82nd Venice International Film Festival.
Herzog will also serve as one of the judges for the festival’s international competition in the categories of feature fiction and documentary films.
“We were very excited to be able to share this opportunity with the Azorean community and beyond,” stated the festival’s director and artistic director, Sofia Caetano.
Actor, producer, director, writer, and filmmaker Werner Herzog, aged 83, was honored with the Golden Lion for Career at the Venice Film Festival this year.
He has directed over 70 fiction and documentary films, including ‘Fitzcarraldo’, ‘Aguirre, the Wrath of God’, ‘Nosferatu the Vampyre’, and ‘Grizzly Man’.
Sofia Caetano mentioned that Herzog’s name was among the most frequently mentioned when she asked participants of the festival’s first edition who would draw them to the Azores.
“As I’m a dreamer and enjoy challenges, I thought: Why not try? The worst that could happen is to hear a no,” she revealed.
The Azorean director Francisco Lacerda connected her with Liliana Díaz Castillo from Extática Cine, who will also be part of the jury, and thus the partnership was formed, bringing one of the greatest names in global cinema to the Azores.
Upon returning to São Miguel in 2020 after living in the United States, Sofia Caetano felt the island needed an international film festival to showcase regional film production and the archipelago’s potential in this field.
“We have more creators, more directors, and more film production happening in this territory that needs to be showcased. There were films made here and by locals that were featured in major festivals but had never been shown in the Azores,” she noted.
The Azorean International Film Festival started a year ago, under the artistic direction of Sofia Caetano and Elliot Sheedy, with an edition of just one and a half days but with “good attendance”.
“We felt that our effort had received great feedback and that we were contributing to the cultural development of this community through this festival,” the director added.
This year, the festival presents a showcase of Azorean cinema from December 13 to 21 and an international competition with seven awards from January 20 to 25.
The competition features “over two hundred films entered” from various countries.
“It’s an opportunity to show how the Azores is a great place for filming. We have various landscapes and all the potential for directors and producers to see the potential of our territory,” emphasized Sofia Caetano.
According to the director, the showcase of Azorean films allows for greater visibility of what is produced in the Azores and encourages film production in the region despite financial limitations.
“Last year, we facilitated a conversation among Azorean directors to share these challenges with the audience and to emphasize the importance of having films made here. Often, cinema has social and cultural repercussions and also promotes tourism,” she stressed.
Besides Werner Herzog, the feature fiction and documentary competition is judged by Lucki Stipetic and Liliana Díaz Castillo.
In the short fiction and documentary categories, the jury includes Marc Vila, Paulina Martinez, and Héctor Ulloque Franco.
João Gonzalez and Inês Teixeira are the judges for the animated short films award, while Luís Banrezes and Balada Brassado judge the short films or music videos.
There is also an award for the audience’s favorite short film, chosen by the viewers.
The winners receive a prize of 500 euros for feature films and 250 euros for short films.
