Thanks to Peter Hobbs who put me in touch with Debbie Holmes. She arranged my interview with Michael Haneke and travelled from Vienna to Paris to translate. A special thanks to Carlos Cuarón who introduced me to Guillermo Arriaga, a great novelist who has become a mentor and, I am pleased to say, friend. Thanks to Richard T. Kelly who got me started by suggesting a place to study and thanks to Rachel Alexander for giving me the idea to do this book. Thanks to Natalie Pearce who helped me enormously when I started putting this book together. Thanks to my agents Clare Conville and Patrick Walsh for looking after me, an even bigger thanks to my editor at Faber and Faber, Walter Donohue, who gave me this opportunity and took a chance on a novice. And how can I forget Lee Brackstone? Who, ‘Without him, none of this would have been possible.’ Those are his words and for once, he’s actually right. Thanks to my beloved family, in particular The Original who gave me sound advice, as per usual. And, finally, thanks to Landa Acevedo who translated the interview with Francois Ozon and put me up in Paris during my stays there. Shami says there are many good times ahead.
Kevin Conroy Scott
London, April 2004