The Jewish festival of freedom is the oldest continuously observed religious ritual in the world. Across the centuries Passover has never lost its power to inspire the imagination of successive generations of Jews with its annually re-enacted drama of slavery and liberation.

In New York I'll walk down the street and someone will say 'Nice show ' and that's it. If I'm at a food festival it's open season.

Yom Kippur the Day of Atonement is the holy of holies of Jewish time. It is that rarest of phenomena a Jewish festival without food. Instead it is a day of fasting and prayer introspection and self-judgment when collectively and repeatedly we confess our sins and pray to be written into God's Book of Life.

The frustrating part of it is that you're generally known for what you did last. I've had the privilege of doing some very cool independent films that a lot of the time the general public doesn't see unless you're at a film festival or you're into that kind of movie.

A couple of months ago I was down in Florida for the Food and Wine Festival. And this journalist grabbed me and said 'How does it feel to be a TV guy? You're no longer in the restaurant business.' And I laughed. I asked him 'How long do you think it takes me to do a season?' He said 'Well 200 days.' And I was like '200 days? Try 20!'

The whole aspect of cinema and film festivals should be a moment to come together and celebrate art and humanity. It would be a shame if there was such a divide.