Of Course, Like All Film-makers I've Been

No Studio In Hollywood Wanted 'cold Mountain.' None. No One Wanted 'ripley,' No One Wanted 'the English Patient.' That Tells You There Isn't Really An Appetite For Ambitious Movie-making Out There.

My Grandmother Was A Huge Influence On Me And The Fact That There Was This Very Strong, Rather Formidable Presence Of Women In My Life Has Been An Enormous Value.

I Was One Of Five Very Clever Kids, The Other Kids Were Cleverer Than I Was And Still Are And Are Very Achieving. The Girls Were Always First At Everything And I Was Always 101st!

I'm Interested In Stories Which Insist On A Dog Fails-to-eat-dog Kind Of World. I Hate Misanthropy, Want To Believe That There's A Possibility That We Might All Be Redeemed, That Hope Deferred Makes The Soul Sick, That Our Humanity Is Fragile, Funny, Common, Crazy, Full Of The Longing For Love, The Failure Of Love.

Of Course, Like All Film-makers I've Been Mesmerised By Cinema Since I Was A Child.