Jean-Jacques Annaud

When Americans shoot movies they aim at the entire planet. When the French make movies, they aim at Paris.

My way of remaining French was the financing scheme I used for Quest for Fire, with Fox funds, since it started as a 100% American production. The film was not in French and yet was French in style, reflecting my personality.

War scenes are less difficult than love scenes.

When Picasso painted in Paris, was he a Spanish or a French painter? It does not matter, he was Picasso, whatever the influences surrounding him. He simply chose Paris because it was the ideal place for him to sell his creation.

America is the only country capable of producing national movies: its culture has become a global culture.

British actors behave like Europeans; they are also extremely well trained.

Today's cinema is a global art form, it is impossible to make movies for a market the size of France, representing no more than 4% of the world's total.

There is a broad cultural current that conveys the idea that a film is like a football team, it represents a nation, it is illustrated literature, filmed radio. These are outdated concepts, totally out of touch with today's realities.

To do the writing, I have to have time to do research.

The financing of my films has always been international.

When a French book becomes an international hit it is because of the author and not because of the language. The same goes for movies.

I make movies just as painters paint: I work where I can.