Sarah Polley's 'Stories We Tell,' James Ponsoldt's 'The Spectacular Now,' Destin Daniel Cretton's 'Short Term 12' - these are really important movies. — Zal Batmanglij Copy Share Image
I guess it the one consistent thing in my life was that sense of magic that film provide - I still remember the movies… — Zal Batmanglij Copy Share
Actors love to do extreme things, so that is why they become actors; otherwise, they'd be novelists. — Zal Batmanglij Copy Share
We lived on anarchist farms, squatted in the inner city, and hopped rail cars. We wanted to see how other young people were creating… — Zal Batmanglij Copy Share
A film set is all about hierarchy, but I always like to think about the circus. In the circus, there's this real sense of… — Zal Batmanglij Copy Share
I think if aliens came to Earth, we would laugh. If there was an alien technology, we would laugh. — Zal Batmanglij Copy Share
'The Terminator' is grounded in so much realism. It's again a story that centers around a woman that isn't a 'woman's picture' necessarily. I… — Zal Batmanglij Copy Share
No one dives a dumpster like a rich kid dives a dumpster, because there's no shame. — Zal Batmanglij Copy Share
A director really doesn't deal with performance that much, especially if you deal with great actors. Their work is the performance. What you're helping… — Zal Batmanglij Copy Share
I stay away from the writing part because I think that if it sticks, it sticks. You just know it. The stuff that doesn't… — Zal Batmanglij Copy Share
On 'Sound of My Voice,' I was the first and last word, which is kind of a dictatorship. I like collectives, though. — Zal Batmanglij Copy Share
I think disparaging something you don't understand, while a very normal thing - I expect more from serious people. — Zal Batmanglij Copy Share
You can't just express yourself and it becomes a movie. You have to get beyond that. — Zal Batmanglij Copy Share
