Director’s Q&A

THIS FILM SEEMS INCREDIBLY RELEVANT TO OUR WORLD RIGHT NOW. WHAT DO YOU HOPE PEOPLE TAKE FROM IT?

To me, this story of a collision course between Richard “Mac” McKinney and the congregants of the Muncie Islamic Center is a microcosm of American society. At a moment when violence across the U.S. seems to be an everyday occurrence, STRANGER AT THE GATE shines a light on our shared humanity and delivers a message of hope. It’s a story so relevant to our world today – a world filled with misunderstanding, people taking sides, and seemingly unbridgeable societal gaps – and yet this story shows there is hope. I believe the film can serve as a glimpse into what is possible when we stay open and kind – a blueprint for what we can do to confront division and hate in our country. The film’s heroes give us something “actionable” – something we can all do to help. They show us that if we can offer kindness and openness to the people around us, people who may have different ideas and opinions than we do, positive things can happen.

HOW DOES THIS FILM FIT INTO YOUR BODY OF WORK?

I am drawn to telling stories with purpose, that build bridges and understanding, and I love telling underdog stories. To me, every single character in this film is an underdog. This film is part of an ongoing series I’ve been committed to making for the past 8 years in an effort to combat Islamophobia. It’s called SECRET LIFE OF MUSLIMS, a set of short films that captures stories about American Muslims. The series, which has received an Emmy and a Peabody nomination and has more than 70 million views, has been one of the most rewarding projects I’ve had the opportunity to make.

HOW DOES THIS STORY CONNECT TO YOUR OWN PERSONAL EXPERIENCE?

Growing up Jewish, I faced a fair amount of anti-Semitism. I was called names in school, kids threw pennies at me to remind me that Jews are cheap, and someone even threw a large rock through the front window of our home. After 9/11, when I started seeing examples of Islamophobia in the US, I felt a connection to what my Muslims friends were experiencing. So I decided to try to tell stories that aren’t being told enough in the US media.

HOW DID YOU DECIDE TO TELL THIS LARGER-THAN-LIFE STORY?

I was drawn to Richard “Mac” McKinney’s story from the first time I heard about it. He was a US Marine suffering from PTSD and filled with hatred who planned to blow up the mosque in his small Indiana town. Before this film, I had even made a bite-sized 4-minute-long short film where he succinctly tells the story from his point of view. But I always felt it would be more complete and meaningful to hear this story from the perspective of the congregants of the Islamic Center that McKinney planned to bomb, and to hear from McKinney’s wife and daughter. To me, they are the heroes of this story and there is much to learn from them.

HOW DID YOU APPROACH PRODUCTION?

In August of 2021, we traveled to Muncie to meet and film the congregants of the Islamic Center and Mac’s family. Over the course of several days, we spent time with Mac’s wife and daughter, who were generous and open, and with the Muslim community, who made us home-cooked meals and shared their kindness. On camera, they told the story from their vantage point, a group of would-be victims who did the only thing they knew to do, to be kind and open to a troubled soul.

HOW IS THIS STORY DIFFERENT FROM OTHER FILMS OUT THERE?

To me, this film is about our country and it’s about shared trauma. All of our characters – a family of Afghan refugees, an African-American convert, and a veteran – carry deep trauma, but when they come together and find common ground and understanding, their union is powerful and transformational. It’s almost the opposite of white savior story, where in this film, the Islamic community are the active heroes who are able to help a lost soul.