"I saw it when I was seven and it has stayed with me probably more than I’m aware of. I loved the Beatles and owned a bootleg single of “All My Loving,” so when the film came to my local cinema in Warsaw—called Moskwa (Moscow)—I queued up for half a day and got in. The film didn’t make much sense story-wise, but it was a mind-blowing experience. I remember it so vividly—the energy, the jokes, the crisp black-and-white shots, and above all the music. It’s a film that is carried by music, which was something new for me at the time. Was it the first music video? I think that British pop was responsible for some of the most inventive British films (OK, Richard Lester was American, but it’s still a very British film)."

"Okay, so, Brief Encounter. I love it because of its consummate craftsmanship. It’s deeply British. It [has] perfect structure. Celia Johnson’s performance. And the way in which it’s a film about something not happening rather than something happening."

"She feels the urge to become wild with something, because her own spirit was so broken. [H Is for Hawk by British author Helen Macdonald is] a really amazing story about the animal-human relationship and overcoming grief."