Los Angeles Times

In yesterday's Times was an eight page Supplement on the AFI Fest, and on page 2 was this story:

AT AFI FEST
THE BEST OF WORLD CINEMA

With 148 films from 37 countries, AFI FEST 2007 is a window onto the individuals and cultures that make up our world. Finding a single film that embraces such a large concept seems impossible, but Andrea Kreuzhage’s documentary 1000 JOURNALS, which makes its world premiere at the Festival, does just that.

The Festival has always been home to the best in international filmmaking. And this year’s includes Academy Awards® entries from many countries, including Mexico’s SILENT LIGHT, Romania’s 4 MONTHS, 3 WEEKS AND 2 DAYS, Lebanon’s CARAMEL, Germany’s THE COUNTERFEITERS, France’s PERSEPOLIS and South Korea’s SECRET SUNSHINE.

JOURNALS follows a sociological experiment and art project by San Francisco-based artist “Someguy,” who left 1000 blank journals in public places to see what people would do with them. As people discovered the books, the journals spread over the globe and recorded the thoughts, hopes and dreams of people from Europe, Australia and even remote Alaskan villages.

In the film, Kreuzhage finds that the Journals Project creates a culture of its own, as people set up Web sites to track the books’ progress, expectantly await the journals’ arrival in the mail, and experience—sometimes unexpectedly—the manners and customs of all kinds of people.

“The 1000 Journals Project is an unmonitored social experiment, which relies on trust, and people’s generous, creative ‘donations’ of time, effort, and love for a global community spirit,” says Kreuzhage.

“The task is seemingly simple: Put something in this book, and pass it on. The challenge this presents fascinated me. People took the risk of collaborative black holes, of ‘their journal’ getting stuck along the way. To possess and consume wasn’t the goal; this was all about creating and sharing, and it was a chance to take part in something no single person could achieve alone.”

AFI FEST has invited “Someguy” to create and place journals in random areas at the Festival Village for anybody to pick up, write in and read. It’s a chance for filmmakers and festival goers to record their thoughts about the films, the Festival and their experiences.

In its small way, the AFI FEST Journals Project hopes to open up yet another window, one that shows how the experience of seeing a film brings us together.

- Marc Lee 

I scanned the story; here's the link.

Comments

[Marilyn]

Andrea, you asked me to let you know when I had a post up...it's up today:

http://tinyurl.com/2o4xkn

(Have run out of time and have to run off to work - will put it up at other sites later. Posting a link to it on my Twitter page...hope you'll think about adding Twitter.) ;)

[Marilyn]

Wow, great press!! So great that he'll be placing journals at the festival. (It's too bad he couldn't just travel with the film and do it everywhere the film plays.) ;)

[Heidi Renee]

WOOT! I love the idea of placing journals at the festival - brilliant!