There are now about 600 international film events each year that might lay claim to festival status. The crowded calendar is increasingly competitive. Some festivals now pay for significant names to attend, as opposed to making a contribution to their travel and accommodation costs. Last year we were offered a star who would come to support her film – for a $250,000 fee. We refused.

The festival world is changing, as are the ways in which people find out about and watch films, making it more important than ever that we’re clear about why we have a festival in London, and what we’re trying to achieve. We have one of the world’s most dynamic cities as our home, and a strong history to build on.

With much of the UK industry based here, expectations are raised – there’s both a pleasure and a little nervousness attached to having the likes of Mike Leigh, Stephen Frears and Jeremy Thomas as attendees. We want the festival to be a place of discovery, with a healthy mix of entertainment, engagement and, sometimes, provocation and controversy.

Programming this year’s festival has been pleasantly difficult for myself and the programme advisors, thanks to an abundance of riches on offer. We watch ten films for every one we programme, and the discussions and decision-making can be agonising.

The early months of the year were promising, with Sundance turning up small, precious films such as The Savages. Then came viewing trips to the US, Europe, East and South Asia and Africa, and then Cannes, this year with a selection of films mostly worth the wait. Meanwhile, at home the films poured in, more than 2,000.

By mid-August we were almost there, the bigger, newer titles always the last to fall into place. Sometimes the negotiations over dates, slots and talent are lengthy, and tears and tantrums aren’t unheard of. But over the August Bank Holiday weekend, we signed off our selection, and finally exhaled. Of course, the real sigh of relief will only come when the festival unspools – I hope you enjoy the results.

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