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Cinema is my religion. It is a way to make people sensitive, through emotions. To make them feel, experience empathy. People are touched and act ethically when they are emotionally touched.

Movies are my religion and God is my patron. I'm lucky enough to be in the position where I don't make movies to pay for my pool. When I make a movie, I want it to be everything to me; like I would die for it.

My whole life has been movies and religion. That's it. Nothing else.

My cinema is an extension of myself. A sort of life-testimony of my vital experience, with my few virtues and my numerous limitations.

My films often have a spiritual dimension which comes from my Muslim background, and I'm happy to tackle that in cinema.

The cinema has done more for my spiritual life than the church. My ideas of fame, success and beauty all originate from the big screen. Whereas Christian religion is retreating everywhere and losing more and more influence; film has filled the vacuum and supports us with myths and action-controlling images.

Then if your movie clicks with real audiences, you'll be sucked into some sort of Hollywood orbit. It's a devil of a place where the only religion that really counts is box office.

If I had a religious belief, I would want it to be as strong as my belief in the theater.

To me, film is a religion. I don't expect to get paid to make it, but I do expect total dedication.

Theater is my temple and my religion and my act of faith. Strangers sit in a room together and believe together.