Let's start with an experiment. Take 10 seconds to write down as many Canadian films as you can. Ok, so how many did you come up with? "Not many" is the answer I received when asking the question to random folks.

When discussing what was the first film that terrified David as a child, David responded by saying Bambi. He went onto say the best advice he could give to neophyte directors is to actually go out and direct something. Nothing teaches what it's like to make a film better than actually making one.

Now, two days into the festival, I notice the rhythm caused by the restless bodies in endless line-ups, the stomach churn of too much wine and not enough food. I open the bay windows, not to sun and sea, but to an empty beach, and the sound of rain. But it doesn't matter, I have a meeting with Coffin Joe, and an interested distributor.

Cannes! The Riviera. The croissette. The sun, the sand, the celebrities...the movies. It's the 65th annual Festival de Cannes, a meeting place of filmmakers great and not-so-great. For an independent filmmaker like me, it's as close to a real life Mount Olympus as I have ever set foot on.