Werner Herzog's New Documentary Drops

At 82 years old, director Werner Herzog ventures into the remote forests of Angola for *Ghost Elephants*. The film follows conservationist Dr. Steve Boyes on his decade-long quest to find a near-mythical herd of elephants believed to be descendants of the largest elephant ever recorded. The animals’ elusiveness is a direct result of trauma from the country's 26-year civil war. Gianfranco Rosi, the only documentarian to win the top awards at both the Venice and Berlin film festivals, turns his lens on Naples in *Below the Clouds*. Shot over three years in black and white, the film explores the city's relationship with Mount Vesuvius, where history and modernity coexist. The film has already been awarded the Special Jury Prize at the Venice Film Festival. Steven Spielberg's new four-part series, *The Dinosaurs*, debuted as the number one show on Netflix in the U.S. The nature documentary, narrated by Morgan Freeman, is a spiritual successor to *Life on Our Planet* and charts the 170-million-year reign of the dinosaurs until their extinction. The series utilizes visual effects from Industrial Light & Magic, the company founded by Spielberg's frequent collaborator George Lucas. Maggie Gyllenhaal's *THE BRIDE!* is a reimagining of the 1935 classic *Bride of Frankenstein* set in 1930s Chicago. The gothic romance, starring Jessie Buckley and Christian Bale, was Gyllenhaal's second film as a writer-director. The project was originally developed at Netflix before Warner Bros. picked it up for theatrical release. Among the films vying for the Best Documentary Feature Oscar is *The Perfect Neighbor*, directed by Geeta Gandbhir. Gandbhir is a double nominee, also recognized in the Best Documentary Short category for *The Devil Is Busy*. Another nominated short, *Children No More: “Were and Are Gone”*, documents a protest campaign in Israel recognizing Palestinian children killed in Gaza strikes.