I think black people have to be in control of their own image because film is a powerful medium. We can't just sit back and let other people define our existence.

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

I think it would be very boring dramatically to have a film where everybody was a lawyer or doctor and had no faults. To me, the most important thing is to be truthful.

It comes down to this: black people were stripped of our identities when we were brought here, and it's been a quest since then to define who we are.

Power is knowing your past.

I don't think I'm a total pessimist, so I think you can find hope in all my films.

I had a great education. From kindergarten to John Dewey High School in Coney Island, I am public-school educated.