I absolutely refuse to accept the fact that any country in the world goes into a kind of film-making crisis. What happens is they lose confidence, they lose focus and the young film-makers of any particular generation can very easily get lost in that mix. It's happened in Italy, happened in France, happened in the U.K. during my lifetime.

Film and the other creative industries are being transformed by digital technologies.

There's always a miasma of misinformation emerging from the higher education sector as to which are the "best" courses to take. My advice would always be to ignore the perceived wisdom and look for the most reliable evidence on the ground.

I've always sensed what a script should sound like - even before the movie's been made

What is certain is that plurality and diversity are not, and never can be, a natural 'byproduct' of unregulated market forces.

There is no education system in the world - none at all - that's better than its average teacher.

As intelligent and responsible filmmakers, working in a free society, we have a duty to ensure that our chosen medium is a force for good. Especially in this ever-more complex and difficult world.