Florian Thalhofer
"When I am reporting from the United States, viewers in Germany get the feeling that I am the expert - that what I say is objective. American viewers might get a different impression, as they have another relation towards their own culture, of course - they grew up in it.
In 1000Stories, German viewers following along with my explorations of the United States, consider me their expert. At the same time, they witness an American facing interpretive challenges in Germany. German viewers of 1000Stories are able to compare what I - their expert - say about the United States, with what Simon - the American expert - says about Germany. The same - of course - works inversely for the American audience. I am very interested in the impossibility of objectivity."
Interview with Florian Thalhofer
Born in 1972, Florian Thalhofer is a documentary filmmaker, a media artist, and the inventor of the Korsakow System*, a software to create database narratives. His work has been honored with the Literatur.Digital Award, the Red Dot Design Award, and the Werkleitz Award, among others. Thalhofer studied at the University of the Arts Berlin and, after finishing his degree, worked there as a lecturer for several years. He was a guest professor at the German Literature Institute Leipzig (DLL), and teaches at the Mediamatic Institute in Amsterdam. Several of Florian Thalhofer’s Korsakow films have already been released, the most recent one [13thShop] – 31 days in a shopping mall – published by mairisch-Verlag, Hamburg, and [Forgotten Flags] – Germany after the 2006 World Cup – by Mediamatic, Amsterdam.www.thalhofer.com
*The Korsakow System:
In reality, stories don’t happen in a linear way but rather simultaneously. So Florian Thalhofer favors nonlinear storytelling. For this kind of narration the computer is the perfect medium. To realize nonlinear films, Thalhofer invented a new software – the so-called Korsakow System. A Korsakow film can be played on the computer via internet or dvd. With a mouse click, the spectator chooses his/her own way through the film.
www.korsakow.com
