Religion works on some people but not on everyone, because it says, 'Stop thinking and accept what I tell you.' That's not valid for people who want to think and reflect.

If you are a businessman or a politician in Iran, you can get a visa as quickly as you ask for it.

I prefer the films that put their audience to sleep in the theater. Some films have made me doze off in the theater, but the same films have made me stay up at night, wake up thinking about them in the morning, and keep on thinking about them for weeks.

There are certainties in existence, but love is something much harder to define than light and dark, life and death. I think saying you are "like" someone in love sounds right.

In order to be able to cooperate with a child, you have to come down to below their level in order to communicate with them. Actors are also like children.

I don't generally derive my stories from novels. I try to turn into film things I have felt or experienced.

I would be too selfish if I said everyone should see my movies more than once. To say that would mean I'm just marketing my work!