Jury president Quentin Tarantino and Tilda Swinton locked horns over their conceptions of cinema when presented to the press on day one. The jury president asked Swinton if Hollywood was so bad why did so many British actors leave and come to Tinseltown. "Now Hollywood can be presented as the bad guy", he complained. People become stars and they get the hell out of there and go to Hollywood." Personally he believes that audiences just want to see the stars, which is why the American, Hong Kong and India film industries flourish-- and Britain's does not.

But art house darling Swinton swung back :
"I've just been going over what Quentin's saying in my head, and I want to say something which may sound as if I'm taking issue with him.
"No film culture can be all auteurs ? but by the same token, no film culture should be all imported Hollywood product." She emphasized that "Hollywood" wasn't the only cinematic product, although the the number of cineplexes "which outnumber arthouse cinemas 10 to 1".

"It is jolly difficult , she argued, "for audiences looking for another kind of cinema and very difficult for filmmakers and critics to have the confidence to look for another kind of cinema, and have the confidence to make another cinema. I think you are talking about something very real - a kind of industrial cinema. But we can't exist with only one kind of cinema."

With fast talking Quentin it is a necessity to cut in and Swinton did pointing out that his references about stars applied only to narrative film, which was "not the only thing that cinema can offer".
The British actress nevertheless hoped to be able to work with the director as member of the jury.

Moira Sullivan