BBC Arts Announces New Werner Herzog Commission ARENA: NOMAD

Told in Werner Herzog's inimitable style; full of memorable characters and encounters, Arena: Nomad - In the Footsteps of Bruce Chatwin (1x85') for BBC Two, explores the creative and personal vision Herzog shared with iconic travel writer Bruce Chatwin.

When legendary writer and adventurer Bruce Chatwin was dying, he summoned his friend and collaborator Werner Herzog, asking to see his recent film about tribesmen of the Sahara. In exchange, as a parting gift, Chatwin gave Herzog the rucksack he'd carried on his travels around the world.

Thirty years later, carrying the rucksack, Herzog sets out on his own epic journey, inspired by their shared passion for the nomadic life.

Along the way, Herzog discovers stories of dinosaurs, lost tribes, Aboriginal traditions, wanderers and dreamers. From Patagonia, to the Black Mountains of Wales, to the Australian outback, Nomad offers a fitting and thought-provoking tribute to a man whose work explores human restlessness and wandering, borders and exile, and art and objects.

Werner Herzog says: "Bruce Chatwin was a writer like no other. He crafted mythical tales into voyages of the mind. We were KINDRED SPIRITS - he as a writer, I as a filmmaker. I wanted to make a film that is not a traditional biography but a series of encounters inspired by Bruce's travels and ideas."

Patrick Holland, Controller, BBC Two, says: "Werner Herzog is one of the world's greatest filmmakers and commissioning this film about Bruce Chatwin for the BBC was one of the easier decisions we have had to make. Chatwin was an extraordinary figure, whose work has changed travel writing; this film is an intimate encounter with his legacy."

Mark Bell, Commissioning Editor Arena and Commissioner BBC Arts, says: "This is a film only Werner Herzog could have made - an emotional portrait of a friend and fellow traveller and a visionary hymn to the nomadic spirit before it disappears forever. I am thrilled to have commissioned Nomad - In the Footsteps of Bruce Chatwin for BBC Arts and to be able to show it to BBC Two viewers as an Arena film."

A unique portrait of one of the 20th Century's most charismatic writers, the film is also a revealing insight into the imagination and obsessions of one of the world's most visionary directors.

Arena: Nomad - In the Footsteps of Bruce Chatwin will air on BBC Two later this year. It was written, directed and narrated by Werner Herzog and commissioned for BBC Two and Arena by Mark Bell. Executive Producer for BBC Studios is Richard Bright.

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