I Never Reflect Or Convey

Cinema Gives You The Opportunity To Be Both A Grandparent And A Grandchild Whereas In Life You Cannot Be Both At The Same Time.

I Had Intended To Make Another Film, Called Pocket Money, Which Was To Be About Children At A School. I Was Very Much Intrigued By The Story [of Close Up] - It Came Into My Dreams And I Was Very Much Influenced By It. So I Called My Producer And Asked That We Put Aside Pocket Money And Start Something Else, And He Agreed.

I'm Not Sure That My Films Show The Reality Of Life In Iran; We Show Different Aspects Of Life. Iran Is A Very Extensive And Expansive Place, And Sometimes, Even For Us Who Live There, Some Of The Realities Are Very Hard To Comprehend.

I Prefer The Countryside To Cities. This Is Also True Of My Films: I Have Made More Films In Rural Societies, And Villages, Than In Towns.

Using Non-actors Has Its Own Rules And Really Requires That You Allow Them To Do Their Own Thing.