The Zahir: What makes Cannes different from other film festivals?

Jenny Walker: This is its 64th year so is one of the longest-running, if not the longest, film festivals around. It’s a film festival and a film market combined, and has a wide range of different kinds of competitions. Along with the Palme d’Or – which is the “prize of prizes” on par with an Oscar, but is more of a ‘whole film’ award – there’s the Quinzaine des Réalisateurs (Director’s Fortnight), which celebrates directors’ achievements in their field, and now a well-regarded short film corner, which anyone can send their short films to for a small fee, getting access to the market place and festival.

It’s also very well placed in the sunny south of France. Taken together this means it attracts all the biggest names, and they know they’ll be feted on a grand scale by a well-oiled machine in the sunshine.

Zahir: That really makes a big difference?

JW: The French do shiny-bling-in-the-sun so well. The Palais Cinema is one of the finest, with huge screens and great sound. So essentially, red carpet screenings heaving with papparazzi and squealing fans mellowed by local rose wine is a spectacle and holiday in one. And that goes for the market, too. Everyone’s much happier doing business with a glass of fizz and bowl of fraise than sitting in a sweaty office in London getting studio tan.

How easy is it for new or independent film-makers to get themselves noticed?

It’s a big noisy place with a lot going on, so the sheer amount of traffic will guarantee a degree of recognition. People are also very receptive to the idea of independent films over Hollywood blockbusters, so will often search you out in the hope they’ll find the next big thing.

Zahir: What are your film recommendations of the festival?

JW: THE ARTIST is a black and white film without dialogue which has been very well-received. Tilda Swinton made an interesting job of an American accent in Scottish director Lynne Ramsay’s WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT KEVIN. And mercifully we seem to have avoided the self-indulgent disaster of UNCLE BOONMEE… which was last year’s winner.

Self-styled Scandanavian wild-child director Lars Von Trier managed to upset everyone by proclaiming himself a Nazi sympathiser when introducing his film MELANCHOLIA. When he was then told that the jury decided he was persona non grata in Cannes he said, “I’m quite proud of my ban”. Oh dear.

And the Palm d”Or went to … Terrance Malik’s THE TREE OF LIFE. An American film with a Hollywood cast including Brad Pitt, Sean Penn and Jessica Chastain, reversing the last few years’ sense that the USA was on a lock-out. So there was buzz about Brangelina being in town, but the best news is that after a few years of controversial choices with WHITE RIBBON being liked and not liked, and UNCLE BOONMEE making most people’s jaws drop, the big prize has gone to a widely-liked film, a reverse on some of the unlikely, even controversial choices of recent years.

Zahir: Aside from the films, what were your personal highlights?

Well, firstly the rumour that Johnny Depp had a sailing ketch in the harbor, and anyone who cared could see him and Penelope Cruz on board. Turned out to be just another of those rumours that zip along the Croisette like wildfire, heating the publicity machine that is Cannes. But after ten days of stomping up and down the mile-long Croisette in the otherwise lovely heat with bruised and blistered feet, networking till dawn, and getting up again at 8am for breakfast meetings (why do people do that?!), my personal highlight was sleeping for more than five hours a night!