Patricia Riggen

“I have a handicap in that English is not my first language. So even though I'm a writer, I don't write anymore because it's just harder in English.”

“I love getting people's opinion of what I'm doing.”

“When I was in college, my graduation thesis was called 'Female Directors.' I interviewed all of the important female directors from Mexico. There were four. That was it.”

“I think the three Mexican directors that came before me did a very good job in Hollywood because they came in and started directing things like 'Harry Potter.'”

“I like making movies that people feel inspired by, a film that they will think about a few days after seeing it, and not entertainment that is completely forgettable the moment you walk out of the theater.”

“I do find that it's easier to get Latino-themed movies... but I don't think there's that stigma anymore. I think that what's harder is to be a woman, not to be a Latina.”

“The problem of working in a mine, you are inside the belly of the monster, and it controls you. The air you breathe, the stones that fall on your head, we had to be on guard.”

“I wish I had seen some women directing before - that would have given me the idea of who I was.”

“I finally, you know, moved to Mexico City, where the film industry is. I started working there as a producer, which is a very, very valid thing for women to do, because we always produce for men, right?”

“To get a movie star, you have to give them two hours of screen time.”

“I went to New York City to Columbia University, and with the first directing exercise, I knew I was a director.”

“Directors only have instinct to work out of, because there is no formula. Formulas don't work. Actually, if you follow a formula, you will probably end up with a bad movie.”

“Every single line, every single thing has to be fought over. There's kind of like an intrinsic doubt from absolutely everyone in my crew, my producer, everyone. It's not just the film industry - it's a worldwide thing. It's the culture of the world to doubt women.”

“I think the three Mexican directors - Alejandro Inarritu, Alfonso Cuaron, Guillermo del Toro - gave all of us foreign, and particularly Latino, directors a big break.”

“It's a very tricky relationship, the cinematographer and the director as a woman.”

“I am tired of having to prove myself constantly, even after being hired. Every single day, every single idea, I need to prove myself. I am tired of it!”

“There are a lot of female directors in documentary, very talented. But it's always lower budget.”

“Chile's mines are very dangerous; the country has a lot of earthquakes.”

“It never crossed my mind to be a director, and I'll tell you why: because I'm a woman. It just didn't occur to me, but I knew I had to be in film.”

“I love the Kathryn Bigelow example: she didn't just do war movies - she did them better than other directors.”