Stephen Poliakoff's Festival Thoughts

23 Oct 2009

What has the acclaimed writer-director been up to?

After a decade of making acclaimed and award-winning television dramas, writer-director Stephen Poliakoff returns to the cinema with Glorious 39, an absorbing thriller set on the eve of the Second World War.

I'm attending this year's Festival... because my film Glorious 39 is being shown on October 27th.

You really should see my film... because it tells a story that I don't think has been told before about a conspiracy in Britain to do a deal with Hitler, instead of fight the Second World War. It also has, in my opinion, the most fantastic central performance by Romola Garai, as well as great performances by such legends of the cinema as Bill Nighy, Julie Christie and Christopher Lee.

The first thing that springs to mind when I think of London... is that I have spent my entire life here. I could live nowhere else. The city is forever changing and is completely unreadable.

The best thing about film festivals... is seeing your movie meet an audience for the first time. It is an extremely nerve-wracking experience, but can also be truly exhilarating if it goes well.

The worst thing about film festivals... is that the choice of films can be intimidating and there are always people moving in the shadows who seem to know everything.

If I could sit next to anyone during a festival screening it would be... Alfred Hitchcock.

The last film I saw was... Fantastic Mr Fox and it was… terrific.

The best film I've seen this year is... Man on Wire (technically it was released last year, but I watched it this year). Since I get vertigo very easily, it was an extremely hallucinatory experience.

If I wasn't visiting the Festival I'd be spending my time... trying to write.

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