20 Kathryn Bigelow Quotes For Writers & Filmmakers

Alongside an eclectic filmography that includes vampires in NEAR DARK, surfing in POINT BREAK, and war in THE HURT LOCKER (though as yet fails to combine them), Kathryn Bigelow is the first (and, as of yet, only) woman to win either an Oscar or a BAFTA for Best Director.

western“>Her last two features, THE HURT LOCKER and ZERO DARK THIRTY, met with critical and commercial success, and her upcoming film DETROIT stays in that same socio-political vein by tackling the 1967 12^th Street Riot in Detroit.

western“>Below are 20 of the best Kathryn Bigelow quotes for writers, filmmakers, and storytellers…

Kathryn Bigelow Quotes

western“>1. “I don’t believe in censorship in any form.”

western“>2. “If there’s specific resistance to women making movies, I just choose to ignore that as an obstacle for two reasons: I can’t change my gender, and I refuse to stop making movies.”

western“>3. “Those of us who work in the arts know that depiction is not endorsement. If it was, no artist would be able to paint inhumane practices, no author could write about them, and no filmmaker could delve into the thorny subjects of our time.”

western“>4. “Something becomes personal when it deviates from the norm.”

western“>5. “I think violence in a cinematic context can be, if handled in a certain way, very seductive.”

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western“>6. “It’s irrelevant who or what directed a movie; the important thing is that you either respond to it or you don’t.”

western“>7. “War’s dirty little secret is that some men love it.”

western“>8. “My interest is to work in as uncompromised a way as possible.”

western“>9. “I’m drawn to provocative characters that find themselves in extreme situations. And I think I’m drawn to that consistently.”

western“>10. [On her shift from painting to film] “Whereas painting is a more rarefied art form, with a limited audience, I recognized film as this extraordinary social tool that could reach tremendous numbers of people.”

western“>11. “You never think the universe will reward your first choice – it just doesn’t work like that.”

western“>12. “There’s really no difference between what I do and what a male filmmaker might do. I mean we all try to give the best performance we can, we try to make our budget, we try to make the best movie we possibly can.”

western“>13. “When I made my first film, I didn’t think of it as directing, so it wasn’t like I set out to become a director.”

western“>14. “I’m drawn to filmmaking that can transport me. Film can immerse you, put you there.”

15. “My dad used to draw these great cartoon figures. His dream was being a cartoonist, but he never achieved it, and it kind of broke my heart. I think part of my interest in art had to do with his yearning for something he could never have.”

16. “The journey for women, no matter what avenue it is – politics, business, film – it’s a long journey.”

17. “I choose material instinctually – at the heart of it are characters that I feel are fresh and original, and allow for an opportunity to, I suppose, explore uncharted ground.”

18. “I have always firmly believed that every director should be judged solely by their work, and not by their work based on their gender.”

19. “I always want to make films. I think of it as a great opportunity to comment on the world in which we live.”

20. “Films don’t cause violence, people do. Violence defines our existence. To shield oneself is more dangerous than trying to reflect it.”

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