The Cuban people have an amazingly strong and unbroken spirit.

Any film that supports the idea that things can be changed is a great film in my eyes.

Before you say cut, wait 5 seconds

Film is a very, very powerful medium. It can either confirm the idea that things are wonderful the way they are, or it can reinforce the conception that things can be changed.

In the late 1980s the amount of German films was down to four or five percent of the market, and the remaining 95 percent were American. It is now 20 to 30 percent German productions.

The most important question for me when I begin working on a film is where to start. For a book, what makes you convinced there is a story that is worthwhile?

Sex and violence was never really my cup of tea; I was always more into sax and violins.