87 Quotes by Asghar Farhadi

It’s very difficult to talk about religion in Iran because religion has gotten so mixed up with politics.

There is no privilege in restriction. In other words, I disagree with people who say restriction makes you more creative. I think that’s a misleading slogan. I might have been more creative without them than with them.

I’m always careful about the thing I’m writing to make sure a viewer can imagine it happening to themselves.

I tend to jot down moments, lines, interactions that don’t really make any sense. I try and explain these scattered notes to my close friends, and they become more and more logical. I see screenwriting as a bit like a math equation which I have to solve.

It was important to me to make a film where I don’t show the past but where the spectators can see the past.

It’s been interesting to see how similar audiences in the East and West are, actually, and how it makes you realize that when politicians emphasize the differences between our cultures, it’s usually because it benefits them more so than us.

I prefer to stay in my country. But this doesn’t mean if someone does want to leave Iran, I think they’ve done something wrong – the desire to leave is completely understandable.

The fact is I’m not making a film in order to draw pictures or make images about Iran.

I like storytelling movies and more than that I like historical movies; and I think someday I’ll definitely make a movie about the past 50 years history.