Maverick German director Werner Herzog will be the subject of this year's retrospective at the Edinburgh International Film Festival (August 12-26). The festival will focus exclusively on his documentary work, which includes such titles as Herdsmen Of The Sun (1992), Bells From The Deep (1993) and Little Dieter Needs To Fly (1997). A larger event, covering the entire spectrum of Herzog's career will unfold concurrently at the National Film Theatre in London.

A key figure in the revitalisation of German cinema in the 1970s, Herzog's international reputation still rests on his volatile collaboration with actor Klaus Kinski on films like Aguirre, Wrath Of God (1972) and Fitzcarraldo (1982). Over the past decade, he has concentrated on documentaries, gaining the most attention for 1999's My Dearest Enemy (Mein Liebster Feind) which explored his extreme love-hate relationship with Kinski. He has also turned his hand to acting, playing the stern paterfamilias in Harmony Korine's julien-donkey boy (1999).

Herzog has recently returned to features with the forthcoming Invincible, starring Tim Roth. There is no confirmation yet whether that film or the director himself will be present at Edinburgh.