The Public Domain is a 2015 drama film set in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The film follows characters whose lives were impacted by the collapse of the I-35W Mississippi River bridge on August 1, 2007.[1][2] The story takes place seven years later. It is centered in a bar in a Polish neighborhood named The Public Domain. The time is around the feast of Saint Casimir (March 4.)
The film was shot on location in Minneapolis and St. Paul.[3] Budget came from the Minnesota Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund, through a reimbursement program administered by the Minnesota Film & TV board Independent Filmmaker Project Minnesota.[3] To qualify, films have to be set in the state and/or have a strong Minnesota focus.[3]
The film had its official debut at the Lagoon Theater in the Uptown neighborhood of Minneapolis on Friday, March 27, 2015. Colin Covert of the Star Tribune gave it 3 out of 4 stars, stating "[Coyle] has given us a well-crafted small budget indie touching some painful, funny truths."[4]