I think film is more like a canvas, a painting, and you make it alive with flesh and blood characters. You have to have a particular vision; a film has to have a certain look to it, and you have to create that look. All of the various components contribute to that painting, whether you are talking about the production designer, the actors, the locations, the music. All of this adds to the complete canvas. And if one portion is weak then the canvas in not complete. These things cannot be compromised on. If there are money restrictions or whatever then you go and steal the money from somewhere else. These things reflect in your work so you can't compromise on them.

One half of Merchant Ivory Films, a company associated with
some of the most literate, laced-up, quality cinema of the
last 20 years, Ismail Merchant has built a reputation as one
of the most successful producers in film today. His recent
forays behind the camera now include The Mystic Masseur
(opening nationwide next month) adapted from the novel by
V.S. Nipul. The main character shares Merchant's own seemingly
boundless energy—and his talent for reinventing and redefining
himself.

I think it's really important to always keep in mind that you are an outsider and if you're trying to make something that's realistic, you need to do a certain amount of work to make sure that it's alright.

With the release of 1996's Girls Town, writer/director Jim McKay showed that teen films can be political. Though he's returning to familiar territory with Our Song, he proves that similar subject matter can yield a completely original and compelling story.

Always make movies for yourself. Never try to second-guess the public in any sort of way because you will always fall flat on your face.

Oscar-nominated moviemaker Michael Radford has explored the worlds of George Orwell (1984) and Pablo Neruda (Il Postino); Africa (White Mischief) and Scotland (Another Time, Another Place); and now the exotic world of a San Fernando Valley strip club known as The Blue Iguana.

Ed Harris has long been heralded as one of the better actors of our time, and he's gotten two Oscar nods to prove it (Apollo 13; The Truman Show). Along with taking on the title character in the new film Pollock, Ed Harris has turned auteur by adding two new titles to his resume: director and painter?

First and foremost, you have to trust yourself, not let anyone talk you out of what you want. You have to trust your heart.

In his career as an editor, Michael Berenbaum has shown a tendency to collaborate with directors who look to film as something other than a commercial vehicle.