Berlinale Talent Campus

Paul. The first thing we've got to say is, who did you sleep with/ blackmail/ bribe to get on this Euro jolly?
This may sound unbelievable, but absolutely no one. And I'm married so I slightly resent that question. I've made a few short films, all of which are being packaged and sold by the excellent Short Film Bureau. I was chatting to them sometime in October last year, asking how things were going, and that I really wanted to move on to the next stage, and they pointed out this event. The application form was relatively simple, only three pages that you e-mail back to the Berlin Film Festival (who were behind the event).

Anything tricky on the application form?
In a sort of romantic German way they ask you about your 'philosophy'. I said that, as an actor, I strongly believed that my experience in front of, rather than behind the camera, had given me an excellent training in creating something in a collaborative manner. I've read hundreds of scripts, worked with lots of directors, so I want to make films that exploit this process to tell good stories.

You didn't pay a Euro?
The British Council paid for flights and accommodation, which was in a very clean efficient hostel. I ended up spending another £100 on taxis and food. There were 60 or so Brits there and we were all very pleased for the support.

Sounds like the first day back at college?
It really was. Except even more exciting. There were first time film-makers from all over the globe. As someone in the café on the first day said, where else would you get to chat with a documentary maker from Sri Lanka? So there was a great feeling of optimism and energy. The event itself was housed in this enormous glass fronted conference hall called The House of World Cultures, ten minutes across the Tiergarden from the Reichstag. Which is slightly posher than the college I went to.