I like storytelling movies and more than that I like historical movies; and I think someday I'll definitely make a movie about the past 50 years history.

It's very difficult to talk about religion in Iran because religion has gotten so mixed up with politics.

I always feel that a viewer has an expectation about every moment of the film and where it's going, so if I act against that, I've created a twist. In fact it becomes a kind of game with the expectations of the viewer. This is the superficial appearance. In the layer beneath there is a hidden theme. The result of each twist is that the judgment of the audience member is challenged.

I see screenwriting as a bit like a math equation which I have to solve.

It's not some big event that creates the drama, it's the little things of everyday life that bring about that drama.

Classical tragedy was the war between good and evil. We wanted evil to be defeated and good to be victorious. But the battle in modern tragedy is between good and good. And no matter which side wins, we'll still be heartbroken.

I would have had the same narrative, regardless of the atmosphere and the restrictions.