From My Films, You Can At Least

When I Came Out, And For Many Years Afterwards, It Had Become A Habit For Me To Sit And Read And Read And Read, Like An Obsession. I Would Take 20 Books, And Not Come Out Until I'd Finished Them. It Took Me A While To Change That Habit.

I Myself Had To Grow A Longer Beard And Afghan Clothes. I Was In Danger Of Being Kidnapped By Smugglers, Though I Didn't Know It At The Time.

It Was Really Bizarre, That Sabzian Business. You Know I Had No Interest In Being Photographed Before This Incident. But Then Not Just Sabzian—many Other People Started Pretending They Were Me! One Of Them Actually Got Married While Pretending He Was Me! My Face Became Publicly Recognizable Soon After I Decided To Have A Few Photographs Of Me Available In Public To Prevent These Sorts Of Identity Thefts. It Is Really Pathetic, If You Think Of It. Filmmakers And Filmmaking Is So Popular In Iran Because All Other Forms Of Expression Have Been Denied To People.

From 7 In The Morning To 11 At Night, I Was Reading. I Don't Think One Can Find Any Other Time In One's Life To Be Left Alone So Much To Read In Peace Like That.

The Buddhas Had To Be Destroyed By The Taliban To Get The World Thinking About Afghanistan.