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 important in any project to remain focused.

Al Jazeera is demonized by the United States, yet in Egypt my father would be watching it.

Being a filmmaker is kind of like being a glorified spy.

You know, Arabs are critical of United States foreign policy, but they also associate the U.S. with democratic principles and opportunity.

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.

As the world is getting smaller, it becomes more and more important that we learn each other's dance moves, that we meet each other, we get to know each other, we are able to figure out a way to cross borders, to understand each other, to understand people's hopes and dreams, what makes them laugh and cry.