"I write what I am thinking about at the time I am writing," explained writer and first time director Charlie Kaufman this morning at the Cannes Film Festival, talking about his new film, "Synecdoche, NY." "At this time I was thinking about issues of life, getting older, of dying, of illnes, of that sort of struggle...that's how it turned out." The hard to summarize new film examines the life and work of New York theater writer/director (Phillip Seymour Hoffman) and the people around him (Catherine Keener, Samantha Morton, Michelle Williams, Tom Noonan). While members of his cast call his work very personal, Kaufman took exception to a journalist's question about the movie being filled with many "Charlie Kaufman's." "I am not ever writing a movie full of 'Charlie kaufman's', its not my intention it never has been, even (when) there is a character named 'Charlie Kaufman' its not me. It a character. That's very serious and important to me. and in this case I am not directing anybody to (be) like me." As for the odd title of the film -- which one journalist called "fatal" -- Kaufman defended, "The key is that is sounds like Schenectady, which is the city that its a play on. If you know how to say Schenectady, you just take out the 'kuh'."