Those of us who work in the arts know that depiction is not endorsement. If it was, no artist would be able to paint inhumane practices, no author could write about them, and no filmmaker could delve into the thorny subjects of our time.

Am I a 'woman of action'? I don't think of myself that way.

I'd love to just think of myself as a filmmaker, and I wait for the day when the modifier can be a moot point.

I need to have my hands on the DNA of a film.

I choose material instinctually - at the heart of it are characters that I feel are fresh and original, and allow for an opportunity to, I suppose, explore uncharted ground.

War's dirty little secret is that some men love it. I'm trying to unpack why, to look at what it means to be a hero in the context of 21st-century combat.

I'm drawn to filmmaking that can transport me. Film can immerse you, put you there.