I do have to say I have been very fortunate.

I always want to make films. I think of it as a great opportunity to comment on the world in which we live. Perhaps just because I just came off "The Hurt Locker" (2008) and I'm thinking of the war and I think it's a deplorable situation. It's a great medium in which to speak about that. This is a war that cannot be won, why are we sending troops over there? Well, the only medium I have, the only opportunity I have, is to use film. There will always be issues I care about.

I do have to say I have been very fortunate.

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

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.

Character and emotionality don't always have to be relegated to quieter, more simple constructs.

Films don't cause violence, people do. Violence defines our existence. To shield oneself is more dangerous than trying to reflect it.