The most natural thing for us is drawing. The characters [in Persepolis] are hand drawn. We're not technical people. We don't know how to type.

As a director, you have to understand what is happening - if I don't understand it, you can't make changes.

I realized then that I didn't understand anything. I read all the books I could.

Adaptation of books is never a success. When the author wants to make it, it's even worse.

There are things that I love in Iranian cinema and things that I don't. In Iranian cinema, you have to use metaphor because you are living under a dictatorship.

I don't watch many comic-book movies. But I loved 'Sin City.'

I wanted to do my artistic work, and in Iran you have censorship. It was difficult for me to do the work I wanted to do.