I decided to be a filmmaker when I was 12. I had utter clarity that this would be my life.

American cinema tends to express a patriotic relationship to national identity on a regular basis.

I would say L.A. is more polite than London - it's a very careful place. People talk a lot in code.

I think I would say 'The King's Speech' is surprisingly funny, in fact the audiences in London, Toronto, LA, New York commented there's more laughter in this film than in most comedies, while it is also a moving tear-jerker with an uplifting ending.

I think the thumb print on the throat of many people is childhood trauma that goes unprocessed and unrecognized.

I was always obsessed with finding truly researched images to add authenticity, out of that came something totally contemporary and modern. Research is very key to my process because over and over again, reality provides more interesting images than you could have invented.

The irony of a director going to film festivals is you never get to see any of the films.