Stranger at the Gate

In a 2023 interview with AwardsWatch, Joshua Seftel described showing the finished film for the first time at the Islamic Center of Muncie, where the film was shot: "We set up a screening in the basement of the Islamic Center and I didn't know what people were going to think, if they were going to like it, if they were going to hate it, and about 80 people showed up. We showed the film and when it was done, the lights came on and I was like, 'Ok, what's this gonna be' and someone stood up in the back and he raised his hand and he said, 'I just want to say that I believe every American needs to watch this film'. First of all, I was relieved that they liked it, but I also felt like, 'Yeah, now this is my burden, this is my obligation to make sure that every American sees this film' because I think it does have a message in it and a power in the story that has the ability to change hearts and minds and change the way people think about Muslims, but also the way that people might think about the division between us and the possibility of building bridges where it might seem impossible."

Referenced in Oscars Nominations Announcement (2023)