I arrived at the Telluride Film Festival just in time for the opening night feed, a public buffet where all festival attendees are invited to drink beer (thank you, Heineken), eat indian buffet, and mingle. After a 15 hour, misadventure-laden journey, I felt like a zombie, but Paul and I managed to chat briefly with Jason Reitman (whose sophomore feature Juno screens here before officially premiering next week in Toronto), Wayne Wang, Jar City director Baltasar Kormákur, and 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days director Cristian Mungiu. And I was ecstatic to grab a quick interview with George Kuchar before he ran off to “a great Finnish melodrama.”

But none of that could compare to our run-in with Werner Herzog. We snagged Herzog as he whisked through the dinner with a stylish blonde on his arm. When we asked about his schedule, Herzog detailed his “many burdens” — apparently, as a friend of the festival, he had agreed to fill in on a variety of tasks, up to and including introducing a film he hadn’t seen. “It’s what we do in times of transition, you know,” Herzog said. “I help out wherever I can.”

Much, much more, including a report on Todd Haynes’ I’m Not There, coming tomorrow.