It was important for me to show that Beirut and Lebanon were once the pearl of the Middle East. Beirut was once called the Paris of the Middle East and to have that feeling of a destroyed place that once was beautiful and glamorous and visually impressive was important. I think it's even sadder to get the feeling that this country, and indeed the whole Middle East, could have been a major force in the world if people would get together and forget about destruction, death and wars. But unfortunately, it's not happening yet.

Today, especially, it's a really unclear situation in terms of where the Israelis are at, and where the Palestinians are at, the world is kind of changing around us.

I'm not political in the sense of activity. My activity, I guess, are the films. I can't really say if I'm worried or a bit optimistic. I think in a funny way I'm a little bit optimistic because even though nothing has really changed, and even though the governments keep changing and there's always chaos in the Arab world because it's not easy to cope with politically, for me it's really interesting.

I think optimism and humour are key words for me to make the films accessible, which means they can really travel and be seen by as many people as possible.

It was important for me to show that Beirut and Lebanon were once the pearl of the Middle East. Beirut was once called the Paris of the Middle East and to have that feeling of a destroyed place that once was beautiful and glamorous and visually impressive was important. I think it's even sadder to get the feeling that this country, and indeed the whole Middle East, could have been a major force in the world if people would get together and forget about destruction, death and wars. But unfortunately, it's not happening yet.

We all live in a world where we can go to a funeral in the morning and go to a wedding in the evening and we survive it. It's the way the world is built, especially when you look at the various people surrounding the Mediterranean way of life.

In the Middle East you get that sense that leadership decisions and the local powers that are working around us all the time have a direct effect on the quality of life... and that quality of life is obviously very different between a kid who is growing up in a refugee camp and somebody who is living in Tel Aviv.