I direct, and I make movies I can't finance. I can't raise money. I can't sell anything. I make things.

Listen, anybody who has a film festival has the right to show what they want.

I direct, and I make movies I can't finance. I can't raise money. I can't sell anything. I make things.

My grandfather lived to be 96 years old. He was born in a town outside of Salerno in Southern Italy. He came to New York when he was 20. He lived in the States from age 20 to 96, but he brought his culture with him, he brought his food with him, he brought his language with him, he never spoke a word of English.

That's the thing about making a movie: You never finish editing. They just take it away from you.

Mulberry Street was the beating heart of the Italian-American experience, but you don't find those gangsters now. I live with a bunch of yuppies and models.

I'm in a house where if the washing machine shuts off, it sings a song. If iPad gets a message, it sings a song. I'm living in a real postmodern time - every single thing sings to you to tell you it's started, it's stopped, you've got a message, you didn't get a message.