I think there are two ways to depict a family. One is what it's really like, and one is what the audience would like it to be. Between you and me, I think the second one is what I would prefer.
Obviously, you're always happy when you can tell a story completely from beginning to end and tell it in a satisfying way, where you're able to make yourself happy and make the audience happy.
It's nice that HBO is in business with the audience and not with the advertisers. There's a difference.
Trying to guess what the (mass) audience wants and then trying to satisfy that is usually a bad recipe for getting something good.
I have a lot of respect for people who are great at ad-libbing and for writers and directors who are able to create a scene in which that works. Judd Apatow is fantastic at it. But as an audience member, I like the sound of something that's been written - I like it to sound written.
Being onstage is just a feeling that you cannot duplicate anywhere else because the energy that the audience is giving you forces you to give more energy. It's such an output and exchange of energy. You can't do that anywhere else.
'Halal in the Family' will expose a broad audience to some of the realities of being Muslim in America. By using satire, we will encourage people to reconsider their assumptions about Muslims, while providing a balm to those experiencing anti-Muslim bias. I also hope those Uncles and Aunties out there will crack a smile!
A work of art doesn't exist outside the perception of the audience.
There is violence in real life but I would never impose violence in a film just to attract the audience.
Usually when I take my films to festivals, I feel incredibly anxious about them. I wonder how it will be received, how the audience will react. I feel deeply responsible for them.
