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“I absolutely don’t like the films in which the filmmakers take their viewers hostage and provoke them. I prefer the films that put their audience to sleep in the theater. I think those films are kind enough to allow you a nice nap, and not leave you disturbed. When you leave the theater. Some films have made me doze off in the theater, but the same films have made me stay up at night, wake up thinking about them in the morning, and keep on thinking about them for weeks. Those are the kind of films I like.” – Kiarostami
“I’ve nothing against entertainment cinema. I watch those films in one sitting. With good films, I go downstairs, check the fridge, make a phone call and go back. I don’t think that independent and thought-provoking films can be absorbed as easily as the Hollywood ones.” – Kiarostami
“If the camera wasn’t on me, I could speak more freely. When we know we’re being watched, we naturally project another image of ourselves. We become reserved. We project an image that does not represent our real self. The moment we say “Cut,” the actors smile, the contracted muscles in their faces relax, and they come alive again. Despite all our efforts to reflect that pure moment, to capture real characters on camera, we’re hindered by the limitations which technology and technicians have created precisely in order to capture such rare moments.” – Kiarostami
