I just wanted to make movies, but I never though about, "How am I being perceived because of my culture or my skin?"

Being exposed to the Ryan Murphy machine, it is very much a personal extension of him. So, if I can learn from that and tell longer stories that are quite personal, and balance that out with features, then that would be the ultimate dream.

At some point, you have an opportunity to not be a first-time filmmaker anymore. You can embrace the genre and show the world how you can tell stories on a bigger scale.

NYU Film School was the way to learn about film, to be exposed to film, to go to repertory houses, to be exposed to New York and see films. I would go to the library and see one, two or three movies a day.

The fun of directing for me, other than working with the actors, is trying to extract those ideas that you have in your head and make them real.

I just wanted to make movies, but I never though about, "How am I being perceived because of my culture or my skin?"

I love visual stylists like Bob Fosse and Vincente Minnelli and Michael Powell & Emeric Pressburger with The Red Shoes and The Tales of Hoffman.