I believe in telling the truth.
I feel that for the first time in a long time, educated Pakistanis are returning to their country to start up educational projects, to start up businesses, so instead of the brain-drain that happened in the 1950s and 1960s, the country is growing and improving economically.
It doesn't matter who you are or where you come from - if you put quality work out there, it will be appreciated.
I hope I can make Pakistan proud by bringing home an Oscar.
There are a number of parallels between the slums of Brazil and those found in my hometown, Karachi. The dichotomy that exists in Brazil is uncannily similar to that found in Pakistan, and I hope to one day make a film that follows similar themes.
My family restores my sense of ease and keeps me balanced.
I'm generally quite an angry person, and I like to channel my anger toward something creative.
I think perhaps Pakistan can take the lead. Perhaps Turkey can as well, being part of Europe. But someone has to start talking about why the Muslim world has become a boiling pot and look beyond these cartoons to what the ideological reasons are for this divide.
In terms of 'Saving Face,' I was inspired by the stories of survivors who didn't let their attacks stop them from pursuing justice and seeking treatment.
My films are motivated by a keen interest in highlighting issues that affect marginalized populations who are caught in difficult circumstances.
It takes one second to ruin a woman's life.
Don't give up your dreams.
Fighting the Taliban and the various radical organizations on the front lines is like adding a Band-Aid to a cut, it may stop the bleeding but unless you clean it with antiseptic, the germs stay and multiply.
By bringing the voices of the ordinary people faced with extraordinary challenges to television screens around the world, I hope to affect change in one community at a time.
When I'm not working on the ground, spending time with my husband and daughter puts me at ease.
An Academy Award nomination is stuff dreams are made of.
I'd like to do a film in Canada, but it's too difficult. National Film Board funding takes too long, and there's too much paperwork; by the time the film is approved the topic is dead and gone.
What good is my parents' wealth and education and upbringing if I'm not contributing to the world?
My topics are timely. When an event is happening is when I want to be there... I think it is our duty to challenge the status quo.
The day I won an Emmy was also the day my father passed away. I received a call from my sister on the way to the ceremony and had to turn my car around and catch the first flight back to Karachi.
