One of the most bizarre reactions to my films occurred on When You’re Strange. Before editing started, I spent weeks looking at all the footage from The Doors archive. Interspersed with hours of concert …

Enough about nutjobs. My only point is that they are out there, and it is absolutely certain you will encounter them. I don’t think I remember them teaching that in film school. But, most …

Filmmaking is like being in a mosh pit. Sometimes, the intimate contact with all the heaving, sweating bodies can be exhilarating. Sometimes, it just hurts and stinks. What happens when all of your careful …

I’ve mentioned Willingness and how crucial it is to making a Film. But what about Unwillingness? What makes someone Unwilling? I still don’t know exactly, but I’ve felt it, and I’ve got the scars …

Fellini was asked once if he ever used improvisation with actors. He replied, “Yes, if it is something that helps the actor or the scene, then of course I will use it. The only …

I’ve heard many people say the reason they want to be a director is so they “can tell people what to do.” Certainly valid. Though sometimes it’s useful to bear in mind that many …

Twenty-five days. That’s how long I was on the set directing Delirious. Out of six years, twenty-five days. I’ve often wondered what my job was all the other days—the days before and all the …

I think all directors should try acting. At a friend's suggestion, I took an acting class right after I got out of NYU Grad Film School. My first scene partner was Chris Noth. We …

Box of Moonlight premiered at the Venice Film Festival in September 1996. As I headed to the theatre, all I could think about was how, just two months earlier, the head of another festival …

I’ve received a few awards for my films, but this one for Double Whammy holds a special place in my heart. The plaque reads, “Best Restraint from Homicide before, during, and after the making …