Film is very much a universal and common voice, and we can't limit it to one particular culture.
Abbas KiarostamiThere 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.
Abbas KiarostamiHaving an international voice is not really about whether we speak Persian or any other language.
Abbas KiarostamiIn my mind, there isn't as much of a distinction between documentary and fiction as there is between a good movie and a bad one.
Abbas KiarostamiI often say to my students in workshops that if they are trying to find literary inspiration, they should not go and read novels, because novels are more appropriate for series. Where as they should read short stories - that's the right format for you to be able to actually display the narrative in a film.
Abbas Kiarostami