I always say writing is like dreaming, shooting is like living, and editing is like murder, because you take all these gifts that actors give you, an…

- Derek Cianfrance

Sidney Lumet is one of my favorite filmmakers. I feel like his approach to filmmaking was always so human. He was always making movies about the peop…

- Derek Cianfrance

It happens sometimes that when someone has a camera, they change; sometimes they change for the better.

- Derek Cianfrance

I love crosscut parallel storytelling, like we did in Blue Valentine. I love how Alejandro González Iñárritu has done it, and Quentin Tarantino, and …

- Derek Cianfrance

There's one rule that I have on my movies, which is that anything that you want to do, you can do. But! There's a flip side to that, which is that an…

- Derek Cianfrance

You can never maintain just pure happiness. In my life, I want full emotion. I want equal parts happiness and sadness.

- Derek Cianfrance

There's something so glorious in giving control to the world. I think that's what I'm trying to do in my films-control the world but also let it be c…

- Derek Cianfrance

I've had to cut my mom out of a movie before - it's ruthless, editing. But it's also so necessary; because once you start taking away, it's like scul…

- Derek Cianfrance

From making documentaries all these years, it doesn't feel right to lead someone. In narratives, I'm always trying to shoot as though it's really hap…

- Derek Cianfrance