Whenever I'm making a feature film, I wish I were filming a documentary, because making feature films is so stressful. It happens every time.

I shot many scenes of Hamburg, albums full of postcard motifs, and I discarded almost all of them. I ride my bike through Hamburg every day. I go shopping here, I go to the doctor - and yet I no longer have the eye for telling stories about this damn city, even though I love it.

I always listen to music when I write, I need a rhythm to write.

Maybe every two films you need to do documentary to tell what you really want to tell and not be limited by the medium. With documentary you don't create the reality you have to hunt the reality.

I like it when actors depart from the script to find their characters.

Germans try to categorize films: in a comedy, you just laugh and in a drama, you're not allowed to laugh. I don't believe in that, sometimes we laugh and cry in the same hour.

Fiction is my home, I came from fiction, I like to tell stories.