In Iranian cinema, all the lying takes place before making the film. In order to be able to make the film, you have to lie.

I am really bothered when I see my friends facing problems back in Iran, but I tell them that not all the doors are shut.

In Kurdistan, there's a lot of hardship - a lot of wars, a lot of bitter and difficult lifestyles. And witnessing all those made me a director.

If I hadn't turned out to be a filmmaker, I would have been a musician.

Dream small dreams. If you make them too big, you get overwhelmed and you don't do anything. If you make small goals and accomplish them, it gives you the confidence to go on to higher goals.

If you're too much in control, you feel too secure in your shoes, and where's the emotion to keep going in life? To keep that spark going, you have to feel like an outsider.

Believe it or not, there are some things that I have written that would be kind of a dream to make. Hopefully, I will get to finance them... There is something that I wrote called 'Demon's Flare' which would kind of be a dream come true.

No man should bring children into the world who is unwilling to persevere to the end in their nature and education.