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

It's been interesting to see how similar audiences in the East and West are, actually, and how it makes you realize that when politicians emphasize the differences between our cultures, it's usually because it benefits them more so than us.

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.

One must never tell a child what it is they should display acting.

I gained a great deal from the period during which I worked in theater and I value those things a great deal.

I'm always careful about the thing I'm writing to make sure a viewer can imagine it happening to themselves.

I prefer to stay in my country. But this doesn't mean if someone does want to leave Iran, I think they've done something wrong - the desire to leave is completely understandable.