Exotica, All The President's Men, The Thing (John Carpenter), The Barbarian Invasions, The Abyss, Cinema Paradiso, Lantana, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, Alien, The Consequences of Love.

Mask, Brokeback Mountain, Exotica, ET, Mississippi Burning.

Shaolin Soccer, Dead Man.

Atom Egoyan, James Cameron, Lukas Moodyson, Giuseppe Tornatore, Robert Altman, Kathryn Bigelow, Ridley Scott, John Carpenter, Alfred Hitchcock, Joel Coen, Susanne Bier, Per Fly.

Gene Hackman, Sigourney Weaver, Paul Newman, Bill Murray, Jodie Foster, Juliette Binoche, Juliane Köhler, Jeff Bridges.

Stevie Wonder, Nina Simone, Robert Johnson, Simple Kid and the "Once Upon a Time in America" soundtrack.

John Berendt "The City of Falling Angels", Carl Hiaasen and James Lee Burke's whole back catalogue, Jefferson T Parker "California Girl", Elizabeth Redfern "The Music of the Spheres", James Baldwin "Another Country".

Roast shoulder of lamb with all the trimmings.

The dictionary.

I get a big kick out of laughter and inspiration whether it be with new or old friends and collaborators in Europe or more exotic places. I have managed to pack in a great deal during my time in the film industry as a journalist, writer, producer and director. I've had projects that stalled, flourished and failed yet I never lose the celluloid spark.