I think we have to go through a lot of rituals in order to fill the gap of meaning in our lives. — Zal Batmanglij Copy Share Image
I don't think we set out to make 'The East' in order to necessarily change people's hearts; I don't know how much movies actually change people's hearts. We wanted to make something that was thrilling and got you to thinking. — 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 Image
Actors love to do extreme things, so that is why they become actors; otherwise, they'd be novelists. — Zal Batmanglij Copy Share Image
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 Image
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 Image
I think if aliens came to Earth, we would laugh. If there was an alien technology, we would laugh. — Zal Batmanglij Copy Share Image
'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 Image
No one dives a dumpster like a rich kid dives a dumpster, because there's no shame. — Zal Batmanglij Copy Share Image
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 Image
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 Image
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 Image
