1000 Journals reviews
Review by on 6 Oct 2008
Filmmaker Andrea Kreuzhage took on something much larger than she anticipated when she decided to document the journeys of 1000 blank books sent out into the world as part of the ‘1000 Journals project’ in 2000. Designed to unite strangers and embrace collaborative art globally through the (at times) anonymous journal entries from contributors around the world, the film gives great insight into the journal entries themselves. 1000 JOURNALS undertakes the task of attempting to track down the missing 999 journals that have yet to be completed and returned to their creator, San Francisco-based graphic artist Someguy.
Kreuzhage’s reason for tracking down the journals is far from selfish; rather she wishes this film to be her own contribution to the project. The film stresses a genuine desperation in its search for the missing journals, urging any viewers who may still be in contact with one of the books to let them know. But what is most prevalent about 1000 JOURNALS is the way in which people react to the journals entering their lives. Almost always keenly embracing the books, the true light of humanity is not just shown in the joy of being a part of something: the jealousy, possessiveness and destructive nature of some of the project’s participants display the darker side of humanity, which arguably hinders the project itself. More than just a road movie tracking the progress of someone else’s project, 1000 JOURNALS is a unique investigation into both the positive and negative measures of human nature.
Laura J Smith, Festival Daily
Filmmaker Andrea Kreuzhage took on something much larger than she anticipated when she decided to document the journeys of 1000 blank books sent out into the world as part of the ‘1000 Journals project’ in 2000. Designed to unite strangers and embrace collaborative art globally through the (at times) anonymous journal entries from contributors around the world, the film gives great insight into the journal entries themselves. 1000 JOURNALS undertakes the task of attempting to track down the missing 999 journals that have yet to be completed and returned to their creator, San Francisco-based graphic artist Someguy. Kreuzhage’s reason for tracking down the journals is far from selfish; rather she wishes this film to be her own contribution to the project. The film stresses a genuine desperation in its search for the missing journals, urging any viewers who may still be in contact with one of the books to let them know. But what is most prevalent about 1000 JOURNALS is the way in which people react to the journals entering their lives. Almost always keenly embracing the books, the true light of humanity is not just shown in the joy of being a part of something: the jealousy, possessiveness and destructive nature of some of the project’s participants display the darker side of humanity, which arguably hinders the project itself. More than just a road movie tracking the progress of someone else’s project, 1000 JOURNALS is a unique investigation into both the positive and negative measures of human nature.
Laura J Smith, Festival Daily
Film details
1000 Journals
DOCUMENTARIES
Director: Andrea Kreuzhage
USA, 2007.
88 mins. English.
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