Herzog in eighteen films. The Cineteca pays tribute to the genius (now on social media).

A piece of meat sizzles on the grill. It looks delicious. Just one piece: grilled ad personam. All around, an Alpine landscape. Or something like that. And he, one of the world's greatest directors, stands there almost embarrassed, dressed as a mountaineer. Explaining that he's just opened his Instagram account, not without some perplexity. In short: Herzog manages to be out of line even when preparing lunch on social media. Let alone when he pushes the limits of cinema and his investigation of humanity. As the new Cineteca festival illustrates, which from tomorrow until September 24th at the Arlecchino is dedicating " Extreme Films – 18 Masterpieces by Werner Herzog " to him. A month with the Bavarian genius, while in Venice they're awarding him the Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement . Well deserved. "A physical filmmaker and tireless walker, he incessantly travels the planet Earth in pursuit of previously unseen images, testing our ability to see, challenging us to grasp what lies beyond the appearance of reality, probing the limits of filmic representation in a tireless search for a superior, ecstatic truth and unprecedented sensory experiences," writes Alberto Barbera (director of the Venice Film Festival).

It's hard not to agree. Eighteen films, then, a generous selection of great classics, lesser-known titles, and projects poised between fiction and documentary. It begins tomorrow with " Where the Green Ants Dream ," a clash between a multinational corporation and a tribe of Australian aborigines, to tell the story of our conflicted relationship with nature. Saturday features the excellent " Heart of Glass ," followed by " Scream of Stone " and the youthful " Even Dwarves Started Small " and " Signs of Life ." Always one step away from the disturbing. Next week is an almost perfect week in Herzogian terms: " Fitzcarraldo " (including the documentary about the film), " Aguirre, the Wrath of God ," " Woyzech ," " Nosferatu the Vampyre ." And then, among others, " The Enigma of Kaspar Hauser ," " Cave of Forgotten Dreams ," and " Fata Morgana ." Info: cinetecamilano.it .

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