Robert De Niro: “I can’t wait to see the films.”

Robert de Niro and his jury answer questions from journalists at this afternoon’s Feature Film Jury Press Conference.

Robert De Niro: “I don’t know what I’m looking for. It’s not every day you get to see 20 films in such a short space of time. It’s a bit like being on holiday.”

Uma Thurman: “I’ve come looking for inspiration, to understand why we’ve devoted our lives to cinema.”

Martina Gusman: “It’s a unique experience to be surrounded by such talented people. I’m totally fired up. It’s like a dream.”

Olivier Assayas: “You have to take the strongest and most stimulating films and find some common ground. You can’t satisfy everyone, but like any Jury, we’re going to try to be as fair and generous as possible.”

Mahamat Saleh Haroun: “My film’s appearance at Cannes and the prize it won revolutionised Chadian cinema. There were no cinemas left, and then one reopened the following January. There is a film school project planned for 2013, and a broadcasting licence fee has been created to finance films. The country’s authorities have realised that it’s important to be where it’s at.”

Linn Ullmann: “In Norway, everyone goes skiing with their parents… except for our family. But I saw two films a day every summer, and at the start of each film my father (Ingmar Bergman – Ed) said to me “there’s your training, right there”

On the absence of Chinese films from the Official Selection:

Johnnie To: “They’re making a lot of films in China, too many perhaps…”

Nansun Shi: “There are ups and downs. That doesn’t mean there’s not quality cinema. It’s about the calendar too. Chinese cinema is well represented at many festivals.”

Reported by B. de M.