A documentary film-maker can't help but use poetry to tell the story. I bring truth to my fiction. These things go hand in hand.

I often feel like an outsider wherever I go, so I'm always attracted to stories about identity and the meaning of home.

It's very important for feminism for us to tell our daughters that they should be strong. But to tell our sons that they can be vulnerable, to have these characters on screen that are not perfectly masculine cowboys that never fail, for our boys to change their psyche as well, that's equally important for feminism.

The Indian cowboy is such a uniquely American contradiction.

What defines a Western? I've probably seen three my whole life.

I was born and raised in China, Mandarin is my first language, and I definitely know America. I think that will be my strength, to try and bring the two worlds together.