Daniel Lyddon

On the night of March 10th, 1945, seventy German prisoners of war escaped from the Island Farm POW camp in Bridgend, South Wales. It was the largest breakout on British soil during World War Two, and has been dubbed "The Welsh Great Escape". A tunnel had been dug by the inmates from Hut 9 in the camp to a field outside of the boundary. At 04:00 the next morning the escape attempt came to an end when a German officer was caught exiting the tunnel by a guard. What followed was a nationwide man-hunt that saw all the escapees recaptured within a week.

It is a truth universally acknowledged that, if you want to be a better writer, you have to read. Read far and wide, across a range of genres, discovering new words, and new worlds. If you're a script writer, then read scripts and screenplays; if you're more of an author then read books. I have something like four full bookcases (thanks Ikea!) and a few extra piles of books taking up floorspace in my home - each book has been read at least once, with many being read twice, and some three or four times.

I've been producing short films on and off since 2005, and coming off the back of my first feature film and going back to a short (albeit one of half-hour length, so not your typical short film project) I can say that just because a project is small in size, doesn't necessarily make it easy going. There's a misconception that features are more difficult, and more worthy of your time, but short films come with their own challenges, that if met head-on, can be really rewarding.

I was lucky to visit Egypt on a day trip during a family holiday to Cyprus in 2002. It was a formative experience for me, despite it being a whistle-stop tour of Cairo. We squeezed in time at the Egyptian Museum in Tahrir Square, and a visit to the Giza Plateau to see the Sphinx and the Pyramids, as well as the obligatory shopping spree. I didn't know it until I was there, but it was a life-aim to stand inside one of the Pyramids (we visited Khafre's pyramid), and staring into the eyes of Tutankhamun's death mask changed me forever. As you'll see in the brief clip above, those eyes have a haunting, lasting gaze. It was shortly after this trip that I decided to pack in my job and do some traveling, to see a bit of the world. I was nineteen.

As screens get smaller and attention spans get shorter, it was inevitable that entertainment would follow. As technology advances, entertainment adapts to fit the new media outlets on offer. Now tech and film are combining in an exciting evolutionary step that brings high-quality content straight to the palm of your hand.

With the 72nd Festival de Cannes coming to a close on the French Riviera at the moment, I thought I'd write a guide to the event for those who are thinking of taking part for the first time at some point in the future. Complete with photos from my own trips to the Festival and some helpful tips, this should serve as a handy guide to what can be an overwhelming week or two in the sunshine (with the occasional rain cloud thrown in for good measure!)