Mr. Herzog began his Rogue Film School in 2009, in Los Angeles, where he has lived since the late 1990s. The densely scheduled four-day course cost participants $1,500. The purpose was not to learn how to make films, but to listen to Mr. Herzog, who makes clear that he doesn’t teach filmmaking — that belongs in film schools, of which he has long been a vocal critic. Filmmaking, he said, is about managing chaos or “wrangling.”
According to the Rogue Film School website, the workshop was “about poetry, films, music, images, literature.” “Censorship will be enforced,” it warned. “There will be no talk of shamans, of yoga classes, nutritional values, herbal teas, discovering your boundaries and inner growth.”
The workshop sessions were so popular, Mr. Herzog made them longer and more elaborate. He started working with the Barcelona-based production company Extática Cine, which held them in Cuba, the Peruvian rainforest and Las Palmas in the Canary Islands. They chose São Miguel for 2026, because its moody, mythic winter landscape was ideal for cinema.
Mr. Herzog announced this year’s workshop via his new Instagram account, which Simon, his youngest son, had set up for him. Also new was the high price tag — 8,800 euros (about $10,200) — which shocked a lot of his Instagram followers, who left comments about privilege and trust funds.
In December, applicants had only six days between being accepted into the program and depositing the money to secure their places. They crowd-funded, dipped into their savings and applied for artist grants and loans. One person was rumored to have sold their car. “The time span between getting the invitation and wiring the money felt like a shotgun wedding,” said Lucas Ackermann, 28, a writer-director from Berlin.
There was an overwhelming feeling among those accepted into the workshop that they had earned a prestigious prize, or were being anointed by the master himself. It was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for these filmmakers, who swallowed the price tag for what they were receiving in return: a close mentorship with Werner Herzog, contacts with other filmmakers and an impressive addition to their CVs.