When I hear the words 'activist filmmaking,' I think of somebody who's an activist, who wants to prove a particular point..

I have actually been very fortunate to be able to make films on my own credit card without having huge funders behind me dictating how the story shou….

It's important in any project to remain focused..

I've discovered I can't make a film about people I dislike..

Traveling around the world during the World Cup in 2006, I was thinking, 'Wow, this is such an incredible and global event.'.

I'm interested in characters that are complex people..

I'll continue making films because I love being able to drop into other people's worlds. My goal is to be constantly learning..

I used to do volunteer work in poor areas of Cairo, and people would gather their money together to get a satellite dish. You'd see them huddling aro….

Al Jazeera is one entity that everyone across the Arab world watches. Arabs are proud of that..

As the world is getting smaller, it becomes more and more important that we learn each other's dance moves, that we meet each other, we get to know e….

Look at the Civil Rights Movement. Look at any kind of fight for change. People had to keep fighting and taking their rights. Rights are never given ….

There are these very poor communities on the outskirts of Cairo called Mokattam, where a lot of the garbage collectors live. I used to volunteer ther….

You know, Arabs are critical of United States foreign policy, but they also associate the U.S. with democratic principles and opportunity..

If you can laugh with somebody and relate to somebody, it becomes harder to dehumanize them. I think that most of what we are constantly bombarded wi….

It's incredible to see the creativity, beauty and hardships people capture when filmmaking is opened up and shared with the world..

Being a filmmaker is kind of like being a glorified spy..

Al Jazeera is demonized by the United States, yet in Egypt my father would be watching it..

In making films, I'm constantly looking for people who are in conflict and who are going to surprise you and challenge you..