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" Independent films are really the best ones out there. They're the most original stories, and they're very good. "

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" I've never been a guy who was anal about housework. A typical Wellington flat when I was flatting was a warehouse with, basically, sheets hung up for walls. "

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" As kids, we all thought Bob Marley was Maori. "

" Films that are easy to sell happen to be the worst films. Look at the poster for 'Wrath of the Titans' and 'John Carter': they're exactly the same. You could switch titles. "

" I did roles that I hated, and there were roles that were detrimental to my acting ability. There were roles that I was always doing that were always the comic relief... it was destroying my soul. "

" Anyone who has a parent can relate to this idea of not quite understanding who your parents are or making up stories about them. "

" New Zealand was kind of getting a reputation for making middle-of-the-road films that weren't really that unique. They were kind of New Zealand versions of overseas films, and for sure, having an Oscar nomination totally helped me get funding. "

" New Zealand was such a weird place in the 1980s. For instance, we used to have this commercial in the late 1970s where this guy drives this car and stops outside a corner store. He goes in to buy something, and when he comes out, his car is gone. He's like, 'Huh?' Then a voice says, 'Don't leave your keys in the car.' "

" I think our first heroes with whom we discover flaws are our parents. "

" My favourite kind of comedy comes from the awkwardness of living, the stuff that makes you cringe but borders on tragic - that is more interesting to me. It resonates; it comes from emotional truth. "

" I find that relationships between kids and parents are very interesting. "

" Maori get pigeonholed into the idea they're spiritual and telling stories like 'Whale Rider' and 'Once Were Warriors,' quite serious stuff, but we're pretty funny people, and we never really have had an opportunity to show that side of ourselves, the clumsy, nerdy side of ourselves, which is something I am. "

" I was depressed about the roles that were on offer, so I had to make my own stories. "

" In a lot of my films, the biggest theme is family, making families out of those around you. "

" Most people in their lives do feel like they are outsiders at some point. "

" My job is to express myself. "

" I've always said that, first and foremost, I make films for New Zealanders. They're my target audience. Then after that, if people appreciate my stories from outside this country, then that's an added bonus. "

" People overcoming the odds is actually a really important part of humanity, and I don't think we kind of get to celebrate that as much as we should. "

" I've always felt that I wanted to make a Marvel film... I just want to make sure I'm not making an episode. "

" I like flawed characters, and I like seeing people who are supposed to be not villains but antagonists. There are elements to them, which are really annoying, but you kind of see where they came from. You see the things that caused those inadequacies. "

" The stuff I'm passionate about is what I write; it isn't multi-million-dollar franchise movies. "

" We all have to remember that New Zealand is built on these kind of people who are rebels and renegades, people doing it their own way, fighting for freedom, and braving the elements. I think it's cool to celebrate that. "

" I think everyone has experienced those boring arguments about whose turn it is to do the dishes. "

" I'm not very proud of coming from a place that everyone thinks is this pure green country whereas, in reality, all our lakes and waterways are poison. "

" Nothing could be more restrictive than working with people in advertising. "

" The family unit is very interesting because these are people that you're supposed to be the closest to in your life, and yet that's where you find the greatest distances between people as well - especially between parents and kids. "

" I don't like laughing at people unless they're in a privileged position or if they're in authority. If it's poor people or people who live on the outskirts or on the margins, or the underdog, I'd rather be laughing with them. "

" My main thing was painting; I was just going to do that. "

" One of my favourite books when I was young was 'Wuthering Heights.' "