At twenty-one, so many things appear solid, permanent, untenable.

I'm a provincial. I live very much like a hermit: reading, listening to music, working in the cutting room, writing, commercial work - which doesn't take up that much time.

I hate television. I hate it as much as peanuts. But I can't stop eating peanuts.

Cinema as a means of expression fascinates me.

A writer needs a pen, an artist needs a brush, but a filmmaker needs an army.

If everyone worked with wide-angle lenses, I'd shoot all my films in 75mm, because I believe very strongly in the possibilities of the 75mm.

[I have a] fondness for telling stories, like the Arab storytellers on the marketplace. ... I will never grow tired of [telling] stories [and] I make the mistake of thinking that everyone has the same enthusiasm!