AFI Fest Interview: Andrea Kreuzhage – director of 1000 Journals

An intriguing documentary about an experimental art project that connected people all over the world, 1000 Journals traces the artist named “Someguy” as he sends 1000 empty Journals into the world to be filled and returned to him. The idea catches a lot of people's attention over a website and inspires people and the doc shows how people seek a physical and spiritual connection in a world dominated by technology. A scrapbook/journal becomes an object of desire and imagination making for a touching film that will resonate and encompasses everyone, especially those who participated in the project.

I met with Andrea Kreuzhage at the Cinema Lounge for this interview.

Yama Rahimi: Tell me about your background?
Andrea Kreuzhage: My background is in the world of theater and stage directing but in Europe it became a business. Then I went with a partner in the international market to buy and sell films. There I met an Australian film company “Beyond Films” with which we did initially TV co-productions then feature films. That made me move to Los Angeles which is center of films and it made sense.

YR: What made you become a filmmaker? Was it this project or were you waiting for the right project.
AK: Actually it was an accident. I was working on another project which I had developed and did the pre-production including location scouting. Everything was set up and two days before the shooting our finances fell apart which depressed me incredibly. So I start writing again and researched here and there when I came across this article about how the 1000 journals started and how he got one returned that got my attention. So I became obsessed to find out what happened to the other 999 journals. So I did a 50 page treatment and sought the creator of 1000 journals about a possible film. At first I was looking for a director then realized that it was something I had to do myself.

YR: How long did it take you from the initial contact until you finished the film?
AK: Three years and eleven months.

YR: Do you think the film is a work in progress or finished with the subject.
AK: Well you never finish a film, you just run out of money. I'm not finished with the project but at the same time developing several other projects. There's a lot of ideas about this project. There's a spin off which is called 1001 Journals, maybe serialize it and do a web format.

YR: As you started there was only one. How many Journals did he get back as of now?
AK: I got several of them for the film and book but then I sent them back because I didn't want interfere with the project but there's 24 Journals now.

YR: Dieter Kosslick from the Berlin Film Festival was here. So congratulations on the selection to Berlin and all the best.
AK: Berlin is still uncertain. I don't want jinx it since I don't know in which section it will be featured. So you heard it first on ioncinema.com and I will keep you posted.