When I was young I used to sit in the cinema thinking wouldn't it be great if you could have a film in which the characters were like real people instead of being like actors.

I don't know what the character is going to be. We sit down and we create a character, and all of the characters in all of my films are made like that.

The delineation between the actor and his part is a practical matter. When the camera runs, you want the actor to be the character.

Independent filmmaking has always been there and it's not to be forgotten.

Some of my favorite movies are Hollywood movies. Hollywood is part of the cinematic spectrum. I nurture a healthy love-hate relationship with Hollywood.

I think it’s important that nobody forgets that although Hollywood commercially dominates the world cinema, in fact what comes out of the filmmaking here is only a tiny slice out of the massive amount of operation that goes on around the world.

My work is about life as you and I experience it. You're either lucky or you're not lucky; either your relationship works or it doesn't.