Any time you talk about the look of the film, it's not just the director and the director of photography. You have to include the costume designer and the production designer.

For me, I believe in God, God is real.

Our greatness, our talent has never been the question. It's been a matter of grappling for control over what we do.

If we became students of Malcolm X, we would not have young black men out there killing each other like they're killing each other now. Young black men would not be impregnating young black women at the rate going on now. We'd not have the drugs we have now, or the alcoholism.

Power is knowing your past.

I think my work shows that I love women. I understand where these types of criticisms are coming from because black people have been so dogged out in the media, they're just extra sensitive.

I don't like to use the word 'remake', I think reinterpretation is a better word. It's just a matter of respecting the source, and then trying to make your own film, and trying not to be inhibited by being so beholden to every single thing... We respect the source, but we make changes to it.