It took me three years to learn to dress in the American way, especially in winter. That was just like me. I barely wear socks even now.

Every film is a political act; it's how you see the world.

Every frame and every scene has to have an intention.

Never take no for answer, and try to make films that turn you on.

Truth is more peculiar than fiction. Life is really a startling place.

You know, the sad thing of post-9/11, which was of course horrific, was that the city in which I felt completely at home for two decades, suddenly people like us - brown people - were looked at as the 'Others.'

Americans are not used to being bombed in their beds, but if you come from anywhere outside America, it's not highly unusual.