'' Queen of the Desert '' is a 2015 American epic biographical drama film written and directed by Werner Herzog and is based on the life of British traveller , writer , archaeologist , explorer , cartographer and political officer Gertrude Bell . The film follows Bell 's life chronologically , from her early twenties till her death . It is Herzog 's first feature film in six years after his 2009 film '' My Son , My Son , What Have Ye Done ? '' The film stars Nicole Kidman , James Franco , Damian Lewis and Robert Pattinson . After going through many delays and casting problems , production finally took place from December 2013 to March 2014 in Morocco , Jordan and England . It was screened in the main competition section of the 65th Berlin International Film Festival and had its premiere on February 6 , 2015 . It had a theatrical release in Germany on September 3 , 2015 . The film received mostly negative reviews from critics and was also a major financial disappointment , grossing $ 2 million against a $ 36 million production budget
65th Berlin International Film Festival
65th Berlin International Film Festival
Queen of the Desert (film)