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I lost a year or two in there, trying to get films financed that I didn't know would never get financing.

Cinema has become a global economy, totally international.

But, I've made films in Japan, in Yugoslavia, all over Europe, all over the United States, Mexico, but not Hollywood.

Film is not a national business. It's international. And its centre will always be Hollywood.

My career in the movie business began in Hong Kong, my heart has always been tied to Asia, and it is immensely gratifying to see international recognition for Asian cinema as a whole.

The major studios are by and large banks, and they give you what is by and large a loan to make a movie. Like banks, they want their money back plus.

I feel that cinema is my country. But it's not my business.

I make American films for American audiences and Asian films for Asian audiences.

There's an abundance of exposure when you start working in American films. Inevitably you become a brand and that has to be controlled.