Whereas painting is a more rarefied art form, with a limited audience, I recognized film as this extraordinary social tool that could reach tremendous numbers of people.

One should make morals judgements for oneself.

Right now, there's the illusion of order and civilization, but there's a tremendous amount of economic tension in this country and the educational system is constantly eroding.

My movement from painting to film was a very conscious one.

Something becomes personal when it deviates from the norm.

I think violence in a cinematic context can be, if handled in a certain way, very seductive.

You never think the universe will reward your first choice - it just doesn't work like that.

Our film examines the heroism, courage and prowess of the Soviet submarine force in ways never seen before.

Whereas painting is a more rarefied art form, with a limited audience, I recognized film as this extraordinary social tool that could reach tremendous numbers of people.

If there's specific resistance to women making movies, I just choose to ignore that as an obstacle for two reasons: I can't change my gender, and I refuse to stop making movies.

When he brought it to me four years ago, Rodney King had just arrived, I was involved in the clean-up of L.A. and I guess it was part of my experience.

Character and emotionality don't always have to be relegated to quieter, more simple constructs.

On the other hand, I believe there's hope, because the breakdown and the repair are happening simultaneously.

I like high impact movies.

The Communist regime didn't consider this to be a shining moment in history and assigned no heroism to it. They classified it as merely an accident.

I don't believe in censorship in any form.

I did a pilot for Anything But Love in 1988 that didn't sell.

There should be more women directing; I think there's just not the awareness that it's really possible.

The urge to purge the material I come up with is, I guess, an ongoing process.

When James Cameron brought me the script, which I developed with both Cameron and Jay Cocks, I wanted to make it a thriller, an action film, but with a conscience, and I found that it had elements of social realism.

One of the elements in the film that really fascinated me was not to look at the world in bi-polar terms of us vs them or east vs west, which was a by-product of the Cold War.

I don't want to be made pacified or made comfortable. I like stuff that gets your adrenaline going.

When I made my first film, I didn't think of it as directing, so it wasn't like I set out to become a director.

Am I a 'woman of action'? I don't think of myself that way.

Cinema has the capacity to be so physiological.

For some individuals - some soldiers, some contractors - combat provides a kind of purpose and meaning beyond which all else potentially pales in comparison.

I began to exercise a lot of cinematic muscle with the precepts I had learned in the New York art world. Film was intriguing. I began to think of art as elitist; film was not.

I can't stand outside myself and be anybody else.

I choose material instinctually - at the heart of it are characters that I feel are fresh and original, and allow for an opportunity to, I suppose, explore uncharted ground.

I do have to say I have been very fortunate.

I don't do what I do to try and break a glass ceiling.

I don't know if I thrive in normal life.

I like to be strong.

I need to have my hands on the DNA of a film.

I realised that there's a more muscular approach to film-making that I found very inspiring.

I suppose I like to think of myself as a film-maker.

I thrive on production. It feels very much like a natural environment for me.

I'm definitely not drawn to shooting on a stage, I'm just not.

I'm drawn to filmmaking that can transport me. Film can immerse you, put you there.

I'm drawn to provocative characters that find themselves in extreme situations. And I think I'm drawn to that consistently.

I'm interested in social commentary.

I've always developed all my own pieces, and they're time-consumers.

It's irrelevant who or what directed a movie; the important thing is that you either respond to it or you don't.

Jordan is a very secular, Westernized country in some respects.

My dad used to draw these great cartoon figures. His dream was being a cartoonist, but he never achieved it, and it kind of broke my heart. I think part of my interest in art had to do with his yearning for something he could never have.

Perhaps the only thing in my favor is that I am very tenacious. I don't take 'no' very well.

The journey for women, no matter what venue it is - politics, business, film - it's, it's a long journey.

There's a conventional reaction when you see a star: You anticipate he'll be a part of a particular denouement down the road, so you don't worry for that character.

There's really no difference between what I do and what a male filmmaker might do. I mean we all try to make our days, we all try to give the best performances we can, we try to make our budget, we try to make the best movie we possibly can.