In conjunction with this year’s much-discussed Telluride Film Festival, we take a look back at the sixth annual festival, which was held in 1979.

In this excerpt, noted filmmaker Werner Herzog, already a Telluride favorite, lingers with a small crowd after a mountaintop panel discussion. Herzog shares his thoughts about the fearlessness of war reporters who step into harm’s way because they feel sheltered behind their cameras. To help demonstrate his point, Herzog, who often filmed under challenging circumstances, trades places with the cameraman.

“Thank you both so much for that fantastic experience,” wrote historian and filmmaker Kevin Brownlow to Bill and Stella Pence after the 8th Telluride Film Festival in 1981.