Usually the characters are where I start. Then I continually ask myself, 'What's the worst thing that could happen to this character?'

I just want to thank people who take big risks in their daily lives when there aren't cameras rolling. I want to dedicate this award to people who stand up for peace and against injustice and intolerance.

United States could be a great country. It needs to be a great country. It's our responsibility as citizens to make that happen, every single one of us.

I wanted to do a political film that is as nonpartisan as can be, because I wanted to do a story that was American. I wanted to tell an American tragedy.

This is our fault. My fault as much as the next man's, because even if I was against the war, I didn't do enough to stop it.

We think we know what's right. With excessive pride comes blindness.

We give you characters we'd feel very comfortable judging, and then go: 'Oh yeah? Watch this'.