For me, its better to live without looking over your shoulder, worrying about who is controlling your phone, maybe poisoning your food.

You need a team that speaks your language.

I love music, I make films with music, I eat with music, I sleep with music, I think with music. Music makes me dream, it strengthens my creativity.

I used to believe that people are only born once, but now I feel I have been reborn, like I was given a new life. I see myself as a child, full of energy and hope.

In Kurdistan, theres a lot of hardship - a lot of wars, a lot of bitter and difficult lifestyles. And witnessing all those made me a director.

Actually, the only thing I regret is not making more underground films and bringing them with me as historical documents.

Im free - but Im also not free because there are millions of young people living in Iran. A filmmaker can only do a little.