Is there a more daring, death-defying filmmaker than Werner Herzog? Although he’s now 63 years old, Herzog remains astonishingly productive and continues to court danger in our planet’s most remote outposts. Grizzly Man, his film about a man who lived and died among the Kodiak brown bears of Alaska, recently completed a successful theatrical run. On Thursday, Oct. 27 at 7 p.m., the Duke’s Nasher Museum of Art will have an exclusive Southern premiere of The White Diamond, a film that takes Herzog to South America once again. This time he’s documenting the efforts of one Dr. Graham Dorrington as he tests a novel helium airship that the scientist hopes will enable close study of the jungle canopy. Will this boat fly? One thing we know for sure is that Herzog strapped himself in for the maiden voyage. Admission is $3; it’s free for Duke students and with regular museum admission.
