In making films, I'm constantly looking for people who are in conflict and who are going to surprise you and challenge you.

I used to do volunteer work in poor areas of Cairo, and people would gather their money together to get a satellite dish. You'd see them huddling around and for the first time seeing issues being debated on TV that had never been talked about before. And that is the biggest promoter of democracy you could possibly have.

When I hear the words 'activist filmmaking,' I think of somebody who's an activist, who wants to prove a particular point.

I'm interested in characters that are complex people.

In making films, I'm constantly looking for people who are in conflict and who are going to surprise you and challenge you.

I have actually been very fortunate to be able to make films on my own credit card without having huge funders behind me dictating how the story should be told.

It's incredible to see the creativity, beauty and hardships people capture when filmmaking is opened up and shared with the world.