Celebrated director, Milos Forman is to be the guest ofhonour for the "Europe Day" being organised by the Cannes festival on 18 May.

The event is intended to celebrate the growing EuropeanUnion (EU) and the accession next week of ten new countries including Forman'snative Czech Republic. It will take as it theme the topic "how to become aEuropean film-maker".

It will kick off with a meeting of ministers of culture fromthe 25 EU countries and presentations from a number of key witnesses, includingForman. The day's proceedings will be hosted by the UK director Stephen Frearsand French screenwriter Jean-Claude Carriere.

The EU Commissioner for Culture and Education, VivianeReding will lead a debate of training in the film sector, notably comparingclassical film training schemes with newer ones put in place by public bodies.Guests from the Cannes festival's Cinefondation will be invited to participate.Reding will also unveil a New Talents In Europe Prize, which will be awarded toa European screenwriter who will attend the festival and pitch to executives.

The afternoon session will focus on the future of the EU'sMEDIA Programme after 2007, when the current five year plan needs to berenewed, revised or scrapped.