It was important to me to make a film where I don't show the past but where the spectators can see the past.

Whether we like it or not, the modernity is something that comes from Western countries, and when the modernity comes to the Eastern countries, although they feel like they really need it, at the same time it shakes the very fundament of the culture - there is always this challenge between the two.

I think that theater is the closest medium to music. It's very pure. It's for the elite of the society. It's not for everyone in the society.

I feel it’s important to talk about the complex issues affecting us. And these are complex issues. I think it’s insulting to an audience to make them sit and watch a film and then give them a message in one sentence.

When I came to know theater, drama became valuable to me.

Sometimes we feel like life is like theater, really.

Each person makes their own choice, but my spirit is meant to stay in Iran, especially with the work that I do, and with the emotional connection I have with the country - with all its difficulties, this is why I stay.