‘Oh come on. What could be more personal? I’ve been all over the world and I’ve never been treated like this, never had my integrity called into question like this. I’ll tell you who I don’t trust, I don’t trust you. You wouldn’t recognise talent if it stripped to its tighty whities and danced a jig in front of you.’

The students erupted with laughter. Alice Chambers got to her feet and tried to intervene, but Gill continued.

‘No, no, wait, let’s hear what the lawyer has to say. Because we all know how trustworthy lawyers are, right? Any of you lawyers?’

‘No,’ the students said.

‘I didn’t think so. And make sure you keep it that way,’ Gill said, and winked. ‘So, what’s this about?’

‘It’s the rules, Mr Gill,’ I said.

‘Do you think anything great was ever made by people who stuck to the rules? Do you think I’d’ve won five (yes, five, not four, not three, five) Oscars, not to mention the BAFTAs and the Golden Globes and the DGAs, if I’d stuck to the fucking rules?’

‘Well, Mr Gill, we stick to the rules around here,’ I said.

One of the students booed, and a couple of others took it up. My right leg started to shake. I leant a hand back on my chair to steady myself.

‘Rules are made to be broken,’ Gill said.

‘Let me explain,’ he added. ‘You see, the reason I came here, the reason I asked the festival to organise this event, is because I knew I’d find talent here. And I did, more than I could ever have hoped for.’

He stretched his arms wide, embracing the circle of students.

‘The film business would keel over and die without new blood. And you, and your rules mean that I’m going to be walking out of here today with no means of contacting any of the bright young people I’ve met here, and bonded with; yes, bonded, it’s true. You know, if I hadn’t had a mentor, I wouldn’t be here today? I got my first break in ads from Billy Thomson, me, a snot-nosed kid from the shittiest flats in the inner city of Dublin, a guy who couldn’t talk proper, even after three years on a grant in UCD, where I never fitted in, by the way. I never fitted in anywhere, until I got into the movies. And, yeah, Cork Film Festival was a big part of that for me, a huge part of my growth as an artist. And, you know, that’s what matters: having someone who believes in you. That’s all I wanted for these kids, these fabulous kids – to listen to them, to care for them, to give them hope.’