In his press conference, in the context of the 42nd International Thessaloniki Film Festival, British director John Boorman spoke about the art of cinema, its history and prospects and noted that "cinema's future is the dream". He actually referred to himself as a second-class director(!) and didn't even hesitate to say that he has a hard time getting funds for his films.

John Boorman, honorary guest and President of the International Competition Jury of the 42nd Festival, answered all of the Greek and foreign journalists' answers with sincerity, politeness, and humour.

When asked about his relationship with his films' screenplays, John Boorman said that he works closely with the writers because he firmly believes that directors should play an active role in the screenplay's structure and composition. "It's not always easy to have a prepared screenplay when making a film. A screenplay begins as a narrative, that resembles a poem and you have to work subtractively until you reach the desired end. When the film is finished, it shouldn't remind you of the screenplay."

Talking about the future of the art of cinema, John Boorman said that cinema nowadays is being manipulated. "On the one hand, there is American cinema, which is primarily concerned with commercial success and profit and has created its own imperialistic empire. On the other, there exists a powerful side of American cinema equivalent to its strong society as well as its underground counterpart. "I believe, though, that the most interesting things happen in the boundaries of society."

According to the director, things have lately become more difficult for the art of cinema. "The 60s' were ideal for experimentation and people actually expected something new, until things began to be simplified and sponsors caught up to this."

The dilemma, according to Boorman, is "Hollywood or ghetto. We work in between the two, in a margin that is getting narrower." He went on to say that year after year funds are becoming increasingly more difficult to come by.

He even made a prediction about cinema's future saying that, "in the future, films will be like dreams. If this dream element increases, the dominance of American cinema will have come to an end."

John Boorman refused to comment about the recent events in the U.S. and if the ideological wars have been succeeded by religious ones. He referred to The Tailor of Panama saying, "There are many examples of the States protecting other countries or regions from communism, by placing a criminal in charge. Well, now we have to face the consequences. In The Tailor of Panama, the U.S. relied on satellites without any ground forces, in contrast to what's happening today. I don't want to comment any further on this subject."

Asked which of his films is closer to perfection, Boorman said, "I don't think my films are good enough. I'm actually a second-class director", he said disarmingly and went on to explain: "When comparing my work to the masters' it's evident that they're on a level above me. And that's the truth."

Boorman then spoke about the abstruse and enigmatic elements in his films expressing his attraction to mythology and claiming that the more one deals with the myth, the more he approaches the dream. If the film has no mythical background, it's more like an illustrated narrative, "which doesn't interest me at all."

When asked about shooting his films in various countries he noted that being a director involves exploring. "I'm from Great Britain which means that material is difficult to come by and directing is a process of discovery."

He admires Kubrik's cinema, although at times his introversion gets in the way. "He had a tendency to reject the world and be alone in times when he wasn't productive at all." In fact, he was amazed by the energy in Kubrik's Odyssey 2001. He considers Fellini, Kurosawa, Bergman and Griffith as first-class directors.

Other points of his press conference: