Ziad Doueiri Quotes

I wasn’t trained as a writer-director. And the projects I write are difficult to finish.

Sometimes art is ahead of revolution.

The mystified idea I had of Israel – the demonization of Israel – it just wasn’t true.

Nine months after we submitted the original screenplay for ‘The Attack,’ the studio that was involved pulled out. I’ve been told that ‘you don’t write in a French way; you can’t make these multicultural films.’

I graduated from UC San Diego, wanted to work in film to get my hands-on real experience, did music videos, TV, feature films, all kinds of stuff.

I was a child during the Lebanese civil war, and I remember Israeli bombardments. So growing up, my view of Israel was completely negative. I’m not coming from a neutral place, but with time, I’ve had to re-examine my thinking.

I am constantly swimming on the margin, neither 100% American, French, nor Lebanese. I am none of those. I am the result of those three. Sometimes it’s an asset: no one can put you in a category. That I do not make typical Lebanese, European or American films does not bother me.

The world is going on a high-speed connection; the Arab revolution is still dial-up. So we have to give it a little time to download. Regimes come and go, but art endures.