Quotes from Asghar Farhadi

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

Poetry, especially traditional Iranian poetry, is very good at looking at things from a number of different angles simultaneously.

I think it's insulting to an audience to make them sit and watch a film and then give them a message in one sentence.

I feel it's important to talk about the complex issues affecting us.

The bigger confrontation is the one an individual has with itself.

In my opinion when you speak about relationships between people, you are actually talking about everything in their world because everything is contained in that relationship.

Iranian filmmakers are not passive. They fight whenever they can, as creative expression means a lot to them. The restrictions and censorship in Iran are a bit like the British weather: one day it's sunny, the next day it's raining. You just have to hope you walk out into the sunshine.

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.

Whenever I write a part, I think there's this person somewhere in the world that this part is specifically for, and all I have to do is go searching to find that particular individual.

The process of writing is like creating a game of dominoes: The first domino creates the second incident, and so forth until the end.

One of the biggest blessings in my life is that I have a very wonderful family, a lovely wife and two lovely daughters.

It's not some big event that creates the drama, it's the little things of everyday life that bring about that drama.

I really think of myself just as a filmmaker.

The success of one film may convince the filmmaker to try repeat his successes and get into a competition with himself. One cannot dwell on periodic successes. You have to look at it as a temporary, passing thing.

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.

Classical tragedy was the war between good and evil. We wanted evil to be defeated and good to be victorious. But the battle in modern tragedy is between good and good. And no matter which side wins, we'll still be heartbroken.

Sometimes we feel like life is like theater, really.

I must say here in France I had more serenity or security as I was working because I knew I was making the film the way I wished and that the film would be seen, ultimately, which is not always the case in Iran. In Iran, you always work having in mind this worry of will I be able to carry on my project as I wish and will the audience see the film.

You can make a film in a way that, when the audience leaves the theater, they leave with certain answers in their head. But when you leave them with answers, you interrupt the process of thinking. If, instead, you raise questions about the themes and the story, this means that the audience is on its way to start thinking.

You must know that Iran has a great number of productions. Many films are released. Most of them, like in the rest of the world, are commercial and shallow films. These are the most popular ones. And there are a few ones that actually develop more profound and thoughtful aspects of life. Only some of these films travel out of Iran.

Poetry, especially traditional Iranian poetry, is very good at looking at things from a number of different angles simultaneously.

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

I gained a great deal from the period during which I worked in theater and I value those things a great deal.

Often times, music is used to evoke an emotion and it's become a cliche, so I don't want to do that, and actually what I do, is that emotional intensity that has developed throughout the film, I allow it to get released by having that music at the end with the credits.