Using non-actors has its own rules and really requires that you allow them to do their own thing.
Abbas KiarostamiHaving an international voice is not really about whether we speak Persian or any other language.
Abbas KiarostamiI wasn't searching for a common denominator - I started wondering about the challenge of working in other cultures. What I reached was the sudden acknowledgment of the universal aspect of filmmaking.
Abbas KiarostamiI did not have a script [of Close Up]. I made notes in the evenings and we filmed during the day over 40 days.I didn't sleep a wink for those 40 nights. I have a picture from the end of the shoot, and in it I have lost all my hair.
Abbas Kiarostami