Lumieres Descendent: Thierry Fremaux

The trick, according to Frémaux, is staying grounded. "That's why going back to Lyon, having a normal life, talking with friends about cinema — it's very good."

Once he is rid of me, he will spend the rest of the weekend with his family at their country house on the outskirts of the city, before returning to Paris (and festival-preparation mode) on Monday morning. Yet, as the final countdown to Cannes — and its inevitable torrent of good, bad and ugly publicity — begins, Frémaux seems calm and unruffled, like the confident judoka awaiting his next opponent.

"This job is a collision of the best and the worst," he says as he downs his last gulp. "You have to do this job sincerely, but without forgetting that you can make mistakes. Then I feel comfortable. I will make a lot of mistakes this year."