Jørgen Leth Quotes

I'm a man who struggles with melancholy and depression, but I am a very productive filmmaker and I work constantly, with no pause. Even in the worst of crises, I manage to produce work. And that's keeping me alive.

For me, poetry has a strong link to my filmmaking. My films learn from my poetry. In poetry, you're free. You start in the corner and you don't know where it leads you. I have no message, I have nothing I want to tell, I just start and I see where it leads, and it's a big surprise and relief if it's good. That's the ideal state for filmmaking.

When I make films, I'm very conscious about leaving space for an uncertainty, and for some unexpected things.

I've done films about games. What I like with games is that there is this uncertain outcome and the element of chance.

Haiti is the best cure against melancholy; it is also the most creative place for me to be. My productivity has increased enormously since I moved to Haiti. That's where I write my stories, develop my ideas and write nonstop, so it's a productive time, not a sleepy time.

Every time I go to Haiti after a season of busy work in Europe, I feel like I'm submerging into a certain state of mind, which is very productive.

When I have something to work against, it liberates my imagination. I believe very much in authentic inspiration. I'm not about calculation.

I hate films with a clear message, ones that have their answers already when they start.

I like to apply storytelling methods and techniques to try to frame the story in an interesting way, but you can never control what's happening.

I like the idea of chance coming into filmmaking, in shooting, in editing, and I do make space in my rules of game for chance.