What's most galvanizing for me is the opportunity to be topical and relevant and entertaining. That's the holy grail.

Whereas painting is a more rarefied art form, with a limited audience, I recognized film as this extraordinary social tool that could reach tremendous numbers of people.

If there's specific resistance to women making movies, I just choose to ignore that as an obstacle for two reasons: I can't change my gender, and I refuse to stop making movies.

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

My dad used to draw these great cartoon figures. His dream was being a cartoonist, but he never achieved it, and it kind of broke my heart. I think part of my interest in art had to do with his yearning for something he could never have.

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

There should be more women directing; I think there's just not the awareness that it's really possible.