1000stories: On the Road in the U.S. and Germany

International interactive film project using the Korsakov System launches in October

10/11/2007, New York/Munich -- An interactive documentary-style road movie that sets out to confound all existing prejudices launches in America and Germany on 1 October 2007. Two filmmakers visit each other's native countries for 40 days and produce a daily Internet blog describing their experiences. The aim of the project is to illuminate and to scrutinize commonly held clichés.

Documentarian and media artist Florian Thalhofer, who has received the Literatur.Digital.Award, the Red Dot Design Award and the Werkleitz Award, travels the American Mid-West on a BMW motorcycle and is going to meet numerous "average Americans" on his trip. Americans that can be seen rarely in the cinema or in TV series set in large cities. Americans who live in the Bible Belt and elected George Bush.

In return, Mark Simon (American photographer, lecturer and filmmaker) explores Germany by car. Here too "typical Germans" will be sought out, portraited and cultural differences will be investigated.

In addition to informative and entertaining reports about the country and its people, the viewers can witness the impressions the visitors get of their own country and the predominant mentality there, enabling them to look at their own culture from the perspective of an outsider.

The various stages of the journey will be published each day on www.1000stories.de. They will also be on show in an exhibition at the New York Goethe Institute, implemented using the Korsakov System.

The Korsakov System

In reality, stories do not take place in a neatly ordered way - they happen simultaneously. This is why Florian Thalhofer uses a non-linear narrative style. The computer is the ideal medium for this type of story telling. Thalhofer developed software known as the Korsakov system to produce non-linear films.

The film is played back on the computer in the net or from DVD. The viewer can use the mouse to plot his individual route through the film.

On 27th September 2007 the event was kicked off with a big "1000stories Launch Party" at the New York Goethe-Institute.

Source: BMW

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