The cinema that I make is a cinema about people, emotion, humanity and passion. It's not just about what they struggle through, but what they live for. That's what I love. The music they love, the people they love, the clothing, the hair and the life that they love

I feel profoundly blessed. I feel it's a great privilege to make any motion picture.

When most people turn on their TVs, they don't expect a frank discussion of philosophical ideas in their practical context. Or any context.

If you just work on your craft hard, that's your only hope of doing anything worthwhile.

I think I land somewhere between Scorsese and Capra in what I'm drawn to emotionally; I'm drawn to very intense emotion. Capra freaked people out when they saw Jimmy Stewart lose it in 'It's a Wonderful Life.

You're not supposed to become something else so you can get more. You're supposed to stay you and get through as yourself, because at least then you can count on that, and you don't have to ask yourself who you are half the time.

I got put on jury duty, which is where I learned how to write.