The competition feature Sin City hit the Croisette at this years Cannes Film Festival for its European Premier and the press was front and centre with questions for directors Frank Miller and Robert Rodriguez and actors Jessica Alba, Mickey Rourke, Michael Madsen, Benicio del Toro, and Brittany Murphy.

Robert Rodriguez on being in Cannes

“To be here in Cannes where they coined the phrase film noir to begin with, in France , this is just a real honour to have the movie here and to be in competition for the United States .”

Clive Owen on the guest director on set

I think that Robert created such a healthy sort of creative environment, he sets the tone and then the whole thing is Frank's universe: he created all the characters, he wrote all the dialogue, it's his world. And then Quentin came in. It was like having another healthy creative input into the whole process.”

Robert Rodriguez on experimental cinema

“Before we started shooting, Francis Ford Coppola came down to our studio, just a very plain sound stage. He looked at my sound stage and said, ‘I always wanted to have a place where the different directors and actors could come and make experimental cinema.' I really took that to heart when we made this movie and that's part of why we brought Quentin down. That's why it's such an honor to be here at Cannes , because we started out just trying to make something creative.”

Frank Miller on violence

“Violence is a real catchy buzzword these days. As far as encouraging anyone to commit violence, I don't believe in the monkey-see, monkey-do theory of entertainment. My dramas are extreme and always will be... The Japanese have the most violent fiction and movies in the world and they have the lowest crime rates, so...”

Robert Rodriguez on violence

“I think the movie is like a book, so stylized and that's why we didn't have any trouble with the MPAA and censorship. They saw the movie as being a very stylised unrealistic, very representative, a very conceptual art approach to the subject matter. Sin City is a film noir.”

Robert Rodriguez on the liberty they had on the project

“There's a freedom you have when you're not spending a lot of money, because you know the people who invested in the movie will make their money back. This win/win situation allows you to almost be more experimental in trying to push things a little further and making something even more original. I don't think any of the actors felt the pressure they usually feel on a regular movie.”

Frank Miller on the casting

“When it comes to Mickey, I hadn't paid much attention to movies during the past few years, and Robert and I were talking about casting, and he said, ‘How about Mickey Rourke for Marv?' So we met and he sat down with his dog and we talked for about a half an hour. On my notepad, the only note I took was let Mickey Rourke be Marv. There wasn't any doubt about that.”

Robert Rodriguez on how studio-driven the film

“This movie is very independent, made very independently through a company, Miramax. They allowed us the freedom to make something like this, which we're not quite sure what it was while we were making it. It's too odd, black & white, it's all voice-over, multiple characters, but we felt it was going to be an original work.”