For me, once the film is out, it belongs to the audience, and I have to be open to any reaction that comes from it.

Filmmaking is challenging for men and women. In both cases, it is incredibly difficult. And gender is neither a guarantee of greater sensitivity, capacity for empathy or aperture.

There is a universal urge to rethink our spirituality in order to give us a new sense of security.

Remember, whoever is funny is king.

There should be weeping at a man's birth, not at his death.

She suspected him of infidelity, with and without reason, morning, noon and night.

I don't want the world to define God for me. I want the Holy Spirit to reveal God to me.

I'm always uncomfortable with that notion of setting people up in order to kind of promote, you know, some sort of a face-off.

Imagine, a September 11 with weapons of mass destruction. It's not 3,000. It's tens of thousands of innocent men, women and children.

First, there is the power of the Wind, constantly exerted over the globe... Here is an almost incalculable power at our disposal, yet how trifling the use we make of it.

I don't cook gumbo, but I just know it's a lot of good ingredients in it. And, with a movie, you got to have all those ingredients.

Table the label and wear your own name.

Talk to Allah in your own language with your heart fully present. Allah doesn't need you to rhyme or speak arabic.