I used the principles of Kickstarter to make 'She's Gotta Have It.' We filmed that in 1985 to 1986. The final cost was $175,000. I didn't have that money. It was friends, grants, donations. We saved our bottles for the nickel deposit.

Any film I do is not going to change the way black women have been portrayed, or black people have been portrayed, in cinema since the days of D.W. Griffith.

I think it is very important that films make people look at what they've forgotten.

I want to tell stories, I don't really try to get boxed in by a specific genre.

I give interracial couples a look. Daggers. They get uncomfortable when they see me on the street.

I don't really analyze my stuff when I write. I write about stuff that I'm interested in, that I'm feeling at that particular time. When I stand back and look at the complete work, I might see themes that run through the whole film, but I'm not really conscious of it when I'm doing it.

Everything I do is always scrutinised. But that's all I'll say about that.