Ive never let producers tell me what to do. Even when I was making television, I always did what I wanted to do, and if I couldnt, I didnt do it. It was a freedom that, these days, young directors starting out dont have. – Michael Haneke
Mainstream cinema raises questions only to immediately provide an answer to them, so they can send the spectator home reassured. If we actually had those answers, then society would appear very different from what it is. – Michael Haneke
Funny Games was conceived as a provocation. My other films are different. If people feel my other films are, or respond to them as provocation, then thats quite different. Funny Games is the only one of mine where my intention was to provoke the audience. – Michael Haneke
Its unbearable when someone changes around you. Just imagine that your life partner changes, then it is difficult to cope with. Or your mother. Or your father. They were strong and now theyre like a baby – its not so funny. – Michael Haneke
My view is that good community management is like having good municipal government: You should be able to have dissenting opinions and so on, freedom of speech, but your grandmother should also be able to walk down the street at night without having to worry about getting mugged. – Jimmy Wales