Cinema is not only about making people dream. It's about changing things and making people think.
Nadine Labaki
Religion is a very delicate subject in Lebanon. You have to know how to say things in a very delicate way in order to be accepted.
I've seen so many women in my family, so many mothers, that have lost children in the war in such absurd ways. I wonder how they do it. How do they keep living? How do they keep smiling?
I am a woman. I definitely have a woman's perspective. I'm also a mother, and I think, because of that, I feel responsible to try and make a difference.
Lebanon is not only burning buildings and people crying in the street. When you say 'Lebanon,' especially to foreigners, that's the first thing they think of.
I think you owe it to yourself and you owe it to your status as an artist to be true to who you are.
I believe everybody can make a change in the world.
A small film from a small country, in Arabic with nonprofessionals: It was practically impossible. Just to make it was like a dream to me.
When I was a kid, I used to spend a lot of time at home because of the war. We couldn't go out and play or go to school. Boredom was a big part of my life.
I like to have the impression that whatever is happening is true.
Self-censorship has become a part of me. I think because we live in a place where community is very important, family is very important, you feel the weight of how people look at you. Even though I might seem very modern and very liberated, I still have a lot of issues to deal with. I'm scared of how people look at me.
Making movies is what I'm good at. Cinema is the means through which I can best express myself.
Beirut turned into a war zone in a matter of hours. We were stuck at home, the roads were blocked.
Films can make you dream. They allow you to imagine a different world. It's why I decided to become a filmmaker. I wanted that even though it seemed impossible.
I'm just someone who observes a lot.
I don't like to be feared, and I can't work in conflict, I'm very bad with conflict. I try to avoid it, it paralyzes me.
When you show people on the big screen that could be our next-door neighbour or our cousin, it does have an impact on our lives.
I thought if my son was now eighteen years old and he was tempted to join the fight and take the burden of protecting his family - because it's always tempting especially for young men - what would I do as a mother to stop him?
I was watching TV and saw people with masks, weapons, and grenades. I thought, Is that really possible? Could we be here yet again? And go into civil war one more time?
I want to keep talking about my people and my country in my own language.
When people say to me, 'You make us proud,' it's heartwarming to hear that.
I've never felt that my job was difficult because I'm a woman. It's a difficult job regardless, and it's even more difficult in Lebanon because there's no film industry. There's no structure, funding, or institutions for filmmakers.
I was lucky because I used to live right next to a video-rental store. I used to spend so much time watching films. So I've seen a lot. I used to watch 'Dynasty' and 'Dallas' and have seen every kind of film. I've been influenced by everything I've seen.
I have learned to do what I want without hurting anyone. I've learned how to get away with it, with everything. I'm getting away with what I'm trying to do on film but also in my own way.
I like to believe that my actors are not acting. That whatever they are doing, or whatever has been said, would happen in real life.
Movements like Time's Up and #MeToo are putting the problems out there and creating conversations about the issues, and that's really how the healing process starts.
Critics' points of view can be one thing today and be very different in a few years.
I think of myself more as a director than as an actress. But I do like to perform and express myself in different ways, and I'll keep on doing so, provided I can find interesting roles.
I don't think I make 'Chick Flicks.'
It's very important to me to understand myself and my place in the world. My films help me with that, and the more people see them, the more I am making a statement.
It's only normal for me to work with my family because I think they are talented and because there's a warmth when I'm working. As a filmmaker, sometimes you are very fragile. You are in a very fragile situation most of the time. I think it's important to be surrounded by people you just get along with.
I don't like to work with people I don't have any connection with.
I like to express myself fully with my body, with my language, with my voice, and through directing.
I always felt that anything is possible.
