I still remember arriving to the United States in the early 60's. We used to come down from Canada by car. Crossing the border was a welcoming experience. Same for the flights into the United States or even arriving by boat as we did on the Rotterdam. The experience was thrilling. We were being let in but also being greeted. What's more, it was an exact science. Americans were just so efficient.

Well, fast forward to this arrival to the US. An overhaul is required. Arriving at JFK was not easy. Not that I mind standing in line for 90 minutes, as we did. But as we neared the immigration counters, all normalcy faded. Suddenly, despite long line ups, a dozen officers left as if called on an emergency. Others opened but the poor ushers who had to guide us could only guess at how to redispatch those of us in the abandandoned queues. In short, a two and a half hour experience. But we did make it through.

There is good news in the arrival process. The customs officer who had to inspect our camera equipment and sign off on the ATA carnet, was a gentleman and very kind. The whole process took less than five minutes filled mostly with conversation about the film we were working on. As with all Americans we have spoken to since arriving, a film about cancer can only interest them.

From JFK we headed to Manhattan only to find that we (I) took us to the wrong Marriott. Long story but after several negotiations, we managed to get a room in the hotel. At this point Sophie and Gilles were in sensory overdrive as they discovered the US, New York and of all places, Times Square.

This was Sunday. A little personal note; friends of mine threw a little class reunion dinner for me so I shared some nice moments with some old friends from high school. One of them I had not seen in 31 years. We do change.

Monday was an exciting day for the film. We had the privilege of filming Dr. Bernard Levin, professor emeritus at MD Anderson and editor of the World Cancer Report. In addition to great substance, the interview will hopefully reflect the location: Barzani's, a grocery store on Broadway. It was incredibly a propos to be interviewing a leading prevention advocate a few meters from fresh fruit and vegetables.

Monday night was a personal moment as well. My wife Maria and our two girls joined us; they flew in from Geneva to spend the girls' school holiday here visiting family. We managed to schedule the Washington DC shoot to coincide with their arrival. Now comes the fun part. Rather than flying or driving down from New York to DC, I decided that the crew and the family would spend a few days together in an RV (recreational vehicle). This 31-foot Winnebago turned out to be a great idea. We saved money, enjoyed ourselves far more and got to see side road wonders that you would not see from the air or a freeway.

Film-wise, Washington far surpassed expectations. The four interviews were all very powerful. We started with Ruth Hoffman who heads Candlelighters, a great NGO that you will see featured in the film. We also interviewed a well known figure in the fight against cancer, Komen for the Cure's founder and leader, Ambassador Nancy Brinker. Last, but not least, two inspiring figures were interviewed at the Washington Cancer Institute, Dr. Elmer Huerta, President of the American Cancer Society and Dr. Tom Glynn, its scientific director. In the case of Dr. Huerta, I think and hope that we will become friends. His unique style and actions must be emulated. Additionally, our two moms both passed away with cancer within two months of one another. As we shared that moment we were, as you can imagine, both moved. Interestingly, both of us made the same promise as well: to use our respective knowledge, resources or positions to further the cause and fight cancer with all our energy.

The trip back to New York was also fun but goodbyes are never easy and that's what I just did to my little family who will stay in New York for an additional week before flying back home to Annecy.

The film adventure continues as we fly onwards to Atlanta...