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.

Al Jazeera is one entity that everyone across the Arab world watches. Arabs are proud of that.

I've discovered I can't make a film about people I dislike.

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

Look at the Civil Rights Movement. Look at any kind of fight for change. People had to keep fighting and taking their rights. Rights are never given to you. They have to be fought for and they have to be taken.

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.

I'm interested in characters that are complex people.