Imtiaz Ali Quotes

I was influenced by European movies, old Fellini, old Kurosawa - any sort of foreign film.

USC has really developed my love for the cinema.

Cinema is arguably the 20th century's most influential art form.

I didn't go to classes there, but ended up at the Cinematheque, and there it opened up even wider because there I saw a variety of films from all over the world.

I went from silent films to watching French new wave cinema. I became entrapped by it all. That's when I knew I wanted to do film. The moment you start looking at film from a critique point of view - there's a difference between watching a film as an audience and with a critical point of view.

I grew up with a deep regard for cinema.

I studied film studies at USC.

I didn't really get any rigorous background in film history.

Well, I certainly was exposed to and learned to appreciate the work of great directors early on. As a kid, my mother used to take me to see really interesting arty films in Los Angeles.

I mean, certainly it's the single biggest event, I think, in terms of popular entertainment, or art even, if you say that, of the 20th Century. It's been film. It's the 20th Century's real art form.

Godard is incredibly brilliant, the things he says. Apparently here in France, the most interesting thing when a new film of his is going to come out are his press conferences, because he's so brilliant.

I think Ingmar Bergman, Francoise Truffaut - all these people created images in my mind, beautiful pictures, I loved what was known at that time as the foreign film.

I grew up watching films. Film has been part of my life since I was a child.

Cinema is visually powerful, it is a complete experience, reaches a different audience. It's something I really like. I like movies.

I realized what interested me as a student of film was one thing and the movies that I liked were another.

To me, cinema is not a movie or a TV screen, and it's not a seat in a building versus one in your living room. It's the art of motion pictures.

I had grown up thinking of movies as something to eat popcorn with. Bergman and the other European directors were the first ones to open my eyes to film as art.

I am obsessed with cinema and its history.

I like Soderbergh, Spielberg, Lucas. There's a lot of talented guys out there obviously, and if you're a fan of films, you have to look at that stuff and learn from them.

I'm sure I can make a movie that doesn't feel like a seventies movie! But the truth is, that's my favorite era in American filmmaking. To me, those were the great years.

I watch movies all the time, so it's hard to pick certain specific directors that have inspired me in the aggregate.

I think, obviously, everyone has a lot of favorite movies, but I really for some reason just love Quentin Tarantino's writing and directing style.

I will watch everything that Cary Grant did, or Kubrick made or Bergman.

He that knew all that learning ever writ, Knew only this - that he knew nothing yet.

I see wonderful films by Bertolucci, Visconti, and Fellini.