I always say, I'm a woman, I can't change my sex. I can't get angry about it. I'm too busy desperately trying to get my movies made. It's hard work. There are no short cuts. If there were, I would have found them by now.

As a director I always look at someone's eyes. How truthful are they? Will this person take me on this journey?

The secret is you need a director who refuses to walk away and you need a director willing to put their whole career behind the project.

I want to give up every single day of my life, but I can't. I'm obsessed.

I want to give the audience what they want, but not at all costs. I want to leave them with something. I try to do that with every single movie I make.

Don't take no for an answer. Don't let yourself get pushed around, and don't be afraid to be the bad guy. Find a producer who will be there to back you up when things get difficult. Make sure you work with key crew that you trust.

Be decisive and persevere. You have to recognize that, at the end of the day, no one really cares if you make another movie. That decision falls on you. You're the leader of your own destiny and the one person who can't walk away.