I believe and support the feminist movement, but I am not generally interested in considering women's rights in relation to equality with men, or in a competition with men, but rather within their own rights and feminine space.

Magical realism allows an artist like myself to inject layers of meaning without being obvious. In American culture, where there is freedom of expression, this approach may seem forced, unnecessary and misunderstood. But this system of communication has become very Iranian.

I'm really interested in social justice, and if an artist has a certain power of being heard and voicing something important, it's right to do it. It could still be done in such a way that it's not aggressive or overly didactic. I'm trying to find that form.

Being political is an integral part of being Iranian. Our lives are defined by politics.

I'm a firm believer that if we could restore real parliamentary democracy, the best way to do that would be to get rid of political parties.

It is assumed in many parts of the world that democracy is a group of people facing a certain problem, who come together to solve it in a way where everyone has an equal say.

Nobody and nothing will stop Russia on the road to strengthening democracy and ensuring human rights and freedoms.

Here in the U.K., our government is committed to building a society that works for everyone - not just a privileged few. We must do exactly the same abroad.