Danny told CNN’s film show ‘The Screening Room’ how he had been shocked that Mumbai’s Victoria Terminus railway station, where he had shot the romantic climax to his film, later became the stage for the carnage during the terror attacks in Mumbai. I’m hoping we will be able to join Danny and his cast and crew in Los Angeles as they prepare for their big journey from Bollywood to Hollywood.
Since I last wrote to you, I made a second trip of the year to Australia – this time to the Gold Coast, a part of the country familiar to me. Our previous trip down under to Sydney Film Festival was in June, in the Australian bleak mid-winter and it rained every hour we were there, with the almost-miraculous exception of the one hour of glorious sunshine as we stood upon the top of the Harbour Bridge for the show’s opening shot as the camera chopper hovered above.
But the Gold Coast in November means early summer in Australia. I have been there a few times, so I know it is not a myth and that it deserves its name but we weren't so lucky with the weather and we found ourselves having to get away from the Grey Coast in places. We shot one link about fifty-seven times as we battled constant rain and gale interruptions!
The reason for our visit was the Asia Pacific Screen Awards. It's the event’s second year, so it’s all very exciting to be part of something that I know is going to get bigger and bigger as it goes on. Quite an eventful award ceremony! Not only did I get the chance to present an award on behalf of CNN viewers, which again is very exciting especially as it went to my countrymen (more on this later!) but at the same time I had a bit of a James Bond moment and saved an award.
The award in question was a beautiful crystal vase presented to Korean film-maker Kim-Dong won, winner of the Best Documentary APSA. I gave him his award and he was so overwhelmed that when we went to have our photograph taken with the award…he dropped it! In fairness I can’t even catch a cold and I have all the coordination of a wet fish, so it was a miracle of sorts. I would like to think we will look back on that as a reward.
Speaking of miracles, “himala” is the Filipino word for “miracle”. I tell you that not only because I have Filipino ancestry but because the other award I presented – the CNN Viewers’ Choice Award for the Best Asia Pacific film of all time – went to the classic 1982 film ‘Himala’, directed by Ishmael Bernal, written by Ricky Lee and starring the Golden Girl of Filipino cinema, Nora, Aunor. It was a heart-warming story and shows the power that an online poll of TV viewers can have as a force for good!
We rounded the year off by heading for the Estonian capital, Tallin and once again my status as Rain Goddess followed me around. I brought the rain to Rio, to the Gold Coast and finally I took it to Tallin. We came here for snow, for the overall Christmassy effect of icicles, snowballs, snowmen everything was around snow for winter – but there was no snow.
As usual, we worked around it. The mediaeval streets and squares provided a lovely atmosphere for the Black Nights Film Festival. It’s suitably named to reflect the mere five hours of daylight enjoyed by the city in winter. I realised that I have been born in the wrong era, I should have been born in the medieval era because it really does suit me sitting and feasting and being rolled out because I have eaten far too much, but the idea of me sitting with my mug of beer and plate of meat is really quite appealing.
But to get back to the present, ‘The Screening Room’ is busy reporting from the Golden Globes, Sundance Film Festival, Berlin Film Festival and I’ll be meeting the critics (film critics rather my own personal critics!) and learning how to make a movie on my mobile phone.
So I’ll have lots more to tell you next time…Best wishes.
Myleene Klass hosts ‘The Screening Room’ each month on CNN International www.cnn.com/screeningroom
