Something happened to me when I wrote female characters in my early plays; it was a real liberation.

Is my job as a child, even as an adult, is my job to heal the wounds of my parents' childhoods?

The job in every re-write is to make it harder for your characters to get the thing that they need.

Well, because my films are really about how people interact with each other, and the complexity, and the nuance, and the surprise of those moments I try to create a safe enough space that allows the actors to operate from their own instincts. My direction is more suggestions, prompts or questions.

I come from a Muslim family. The label 'Muslim' is one aspect of me, but it's not the only part of me.

After church on the Sunday after Thanksgiving, my family would go chop down our Christmas tree. Once it was home and placed in its stand, Mom and I would painstakingly decorate our tree. It took hours to place the tinsel, string the lights, find the perfect spot for my favorite macaroni and felt ornaments from kindergarten.

Girls need to be strong and know how to stand up for themselves. Definitely having friends is a big part of it, so that they can help you through that, and a strong family.

My father was incredible: a longshoreman; my mother was a secretary. Very 'go to work' people. That's how I saw things.