Alex Gibney Quotes

I think there is a debate in the arts about, you know, whether we must strive for art for art's sake, and you know, kind of try to keep political debate out of our work. And to that I say, I'd like you to show me an example of, you know, this so-called apolitical art. I don't think there's any such thing.

Art never harms itself by keeping aloof from the social problems of the day: rather, by so doing, it more completely realises for us that which we desire.

Art can be very political but that can't be the purpose of art, it can't be the driving force. It isn't with any of the books that I love, anyway.

It's always great to do a movie that you find is entertaining, but also can give some sort of political or social message.

If I don't have to think about the commercial aspect of it, then I feel like I'm going to make better films.

Artists speak the truth to the public without fear of retribution or damage to their careers.

If art is singular expression, then by nature, the best art is controversial. But when art stirs debate for reasons besides its artistic integrity, that's when things get bent.

I have no ethics when it comes to art. You just do what you can to make it as beautiful as you can.

There were a lot of people dreaming about making films, and they would finance maybe 6 films a year. Because they were funded by the government, the films sort-of had to deal with serious social issues - and, as a result, nobody went to see those films.

I think it's important, if you are an artist, to use your music to stand up for what you believe in.

I just wanted to be an artist. I didn't care how or what; I just wanted to express my artistic integrity, and I wanted the world to have a vision of what I was seeing in my mind.

Performers have the right to say what they want to, and anyone paying money has the right to accept or reject the art and entertainment that's available.

It's a hard line to walk, man. Cause you know you want to make this movie, you want to make it dark and real, you want to show all this stuff but unfortunately you can't always do that.

I don't make movies because I think audiences will want to go see them.

Previously the same Polish audiences would have been pressured into seeing cinema made for adults, films made by us about those spheres of life that were significant for us and which should be significant for our society.

I believe art has to take responsibility but it should not give up being art.

I don't feel that as an artist my job is to offer PR propaganda, whether for the good or for the bad.

Making art in America is sort of a political statement in and of itself. It's not the best environment for that sometimes.

There are things that I love in Iranian cinema and things that I don't. In Iranian cinema, you have to use metaphor because you are living under a dictatorship.

The United States and Turkey are the only two countries that don't have some kind of subsidy for the Arts. The whole culture in society has made certain films more acceptable. I turned down so many films in the '60s and '70s.

When theater becomes a soothing middle-class thing, when it's packaged as the Night Out, then that's the death of it.

The second you feel a political imperative, it destroys your art.

I would never make a film because I think it's going to be a box-office success.

But I don't think as film-makers it is our responsibility that every time we make a film we should be saying something. If you are entertaining people, that's more than enough.

As a musician, I don't wanna put out political soundbites.