Melbourne Documentary Film Festival 2019 – Ballad of a Righteous Merchant
An intimate portrait of Werner Herzog making My Son, My Son, What Have Ye Done, by its co-writer, a friend and collaborator, exploring some of the deepest themes of his films.
Interview with Writer/Director/Producer Herbert Golder
Congratulations! Why did you make your film?
To seize a moment I knew was ripe.
Imagine I’m a member of the audience. Why should I watch this film?
It is a portrait of one of the great masters of cinema at work.
How do personal and universal themes work in your film?
The exploration of cinema as an agitation of the mind.
How have the script and film evolved over the course of their development?
It found its voice.
What type of feedback have you received so far?
Lively and engaged.
Has the feedback surprised or challenged your point of view?
Connected kindred spirits.
What are you looking to achieve by having your film more visible on www.wearemovingstories.com?
To connect with potential audiences.
Who do you need to come on board (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists) to amplify this film’s message?
Sales agents and/or distributors.
What type of impact and/or reception would you like this film to have?
Agitation of the mind.
What’s a key question that will help spark a debate or begin a conversation about this film?
Why are dreamers of the day dangerous men?
Would you like to add anything else?
All men dream, but not equally.
What other projects are the key creatives developing or working on now?
A feature film, stay tuned.
Interview: June 2019
We Are Moving Stories embraces new voices in drama, documentary, animation, TV, web series, music video, women's films, LGBTQIA+, POC, First Nations, scifi, supernatural, horror, world cinema. If you have just made a film - we'd love to hear from you. Or if you know a filmmaker - can you recommend us? More info: Carmela
Ballad of a Righteous Merchant
An intimate portrait of Werner Herzog making My Son, My Son, What Have Ye Done, by its co-writer, a friend and collaborator, exploring some of the deepest themes of his films.
Length: 1:02:14
Director: Herbert Golder
Producer: Herbert Golder
Writer: Herbert Golder
About the writer, director and producer:
HERBERT GOLDER has collaborated with Herzog in different capacities on ten films, features and documentaries, across four continents. With Herzog, he wrote My Son, My Son, What Have Ye Done, which was nominated for a Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival and also earned Golder a nomination for Best Screenplay. Golder’s Ballad of a Righteous Merchant is an intimate portrait of Herzog at work as well as a series of reflections on their collaborations.
Key cast: Werner Herzog, Michael Shannon, Chloë Sevigny, Willem Dafoe, Udo Kier, Michael Peña, Grace Zabriskie, Brad Dourif, Peter Zeitlinger
Looking for: distributors
Other: IMDb
Where can I watch it next and in the coming month? Melbourne Documentary Film Festival/The Pivot Cinema (Geelong) - 7/21-8/4