Barry Levinson hates the way everything in America from politics to showbiz gets molded into an image based on media "narratives" that derive from impressions rather than facts. The entertainment-news spin on his latest movie What Just Happened? is that it failed to win over audiences at Sundance and that its selection to be the closing night film at Cannes is a life-preserver as well as an honor.

Levinson disagrees. "The Sundance screenings were very successful; we did a Q&A and couldn't have had a more enthusiastic group, and they were there at 8:30 in the morning. Wherever we've gone, the want-to-see factor has been extremely high. You tell the people in a suburban shopping mall a synopsis of what the movie is about [Robert De Niro plays a Hollywood producer in crisis mode], and you fill the room in no time and even turn away people. But everything these days is judged by perception as opposed to reality. I've done additional work on the film after Sundance but I was always assuming I would anyway because we're not coming out until the fall, and [2929 Productions cofounder] Todd Wagner has been more than generous in allowing us to continue to do some fiddling."

"We didn't do this movie as a big campy version of the film business. We tried to do a view that gives you insight into the nature of the business without being overly serious about it. And that includes an agent who is not as powerful as the ones you normally see, someone who has a weak stomach and can't handle the pressure."

In addition to attending Cannes late in May, Levinson is looking forward to introducing the opening night shorts program of the Maryland Film Festival on May 1.

"I think the festival has grown, and [festival director] Jed Dietz has done a very good job with it. It's great that once a year there is this festival that showcases different works, both local and from all over. Anything that increases people's awareness is beneficial, whether you're a filmmaker or someone who wants to see movies you may not get to see otherwise, and go out and talk them over with a cup of coffee afterwards. When I was growing up in Baltimore, the closest I could get to movies was working at Channel 2 for a short time; that, and the original Baltimore Junior College had a program in broadcast journalism. A festival like this would have been exciting. I just wish that the state would become more aggressive in bringing filmmaking to Maryland."

ABOVE: Associated Press photo of Barry Levinson