Stranger at the Gate

2022 American short documentary film

Stranger at the Gate

Official poster

Directed by|

* Joshua Seftel

Produced by|

* Conall Jones
* Joshua Seftel
* Lena Khan
* Mohannad Malas
* Suzanne Hillinger
* John W. Kiser
* Conrad Fisher
* Anna Bick Rowe
* Jeremy Mack
* Eric Nichols

Starring|

* Bibi Bahrami
* Saber Bahrami

Narrated by| Emily McKinney
Edited by| Jeremy Medoff
Music by| Ezinma

Production
company

Smartypants

Distributed by| The New Yorker

Release date

* 14 September 2022 (2022-09-14)

Running time

| 29 minutes
Country|

* United States

Language| English

Stranger at the Gate is a 2022 American short documentary film directed by Joshua Seftel. The documentary is about an Afghan refugee named Bibi Bahrami and the members of her little Indiana mosque, who come face to face with Richard "Mac" McKinney, a U.S. Marine who has secret plans to bomb their community center. But Mac McKinney's plan takes an unexpected turn. Produced by Smartypants, the film had its world premiere on September 14, 2022 via YouTube and The New Yorker.[1][2][3]

It was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Documentary Short Film at the 95th Academy Awards.[4][5]

## Synopsis

[edit]

The short documentary film tells the story of Richard (Mac) McKinney, a Marine veteran from Indiana, who served in Iraq and Afghanistan. After his return he coped with PTSD, and developed Islamophobia. He plans an attack on a local mosque, but, things turned out differently when he spends time with community that welcomes him.

## Cast

[edit]

* Bibi Bahrami - Afghan refugee
* Dr. Saber Bahrami
* Zaki Bahrami
* Captain Kent Kurtz
* Dana McKinney
* Emily McKinney - McKinney's daughter
* Richard "Mac" McKinney, a former Marine from Indiana
* Jomo Williams

## Production

[edit]

The director in a statement in a question answer session told that he had read Richard “Mac” McKinney’s story in a small, Indiana newspaper a few years back, which was told from Mac’s vantage point. He said, "I had always wondered what it would be like 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 about what it was like to live with a domestic terrorist." In August 2021, he and his team went to Muncie, Indiana to meet and film the congregants of the Islamic Center and Mac’s family. The story, they told from their perspective, and we filmed it.[6][7]

## Release

[edit]

The film had its world premiere on September 14, 2022 via YouTube and The New Yorker. Prior to that, it was screened at Sarasota Film Festival in April 2022,[8] and at Tribeca Festival held from June 8 to 19, 2022.[9] In September 2022, it was screened at Port Townsend Film Festival held from September 22 to September 25, 2022,[10][11] and Breck Film Festival held from September 15 to September 18, 2022.[12] On October 7, 2022, it was screened at BendFilm Festival held from October 6 to October 9, 2022,[13] as well as at Hamptons International Film Festival held from October 7 to October 16, 2022 in East Hampton, New York[14]

## Reception

[edit]

The film featured in American weekly magazine The New Yorker.[15] Jennie Kermode reviewing for Eye for Film rated the film with 4 stars out of 5 and opined that, "Joshua Seftel’s short documentary is a powerful piece of work". Concluding, Kermode stated, "Told in a style which avoids sensationalism and lets events speak for themselves, Stranger At The Gate is a quietly revolutionary film. It's a celebration of diversity both within our communities and within the stories which we tell."[16] Greggory Morris reviewing for the WORD rated the film with 5 out of 5 and wrote, "exceptionally made, spellbinding documentary features telling vignettes". Concluding, Morris stated, "One of the sublime features adding to this film’s beatific sheen are the interviewees whose vignettes about their lives, experiences as well as interactions with each other are fused into a sweeping cinematic tapestry."[6] Jason Knight reviewing for the UK Film Review rated the film with 4 out of 5 stars and wrote, "This half-hour-long documentary provides a memorable insight into an astonishing story". Knight praised score and editing writing, "The tense and dramatic score by Ezinma is great", he added, "Jeremy Medoff and Eric Daniel Metzgar worked on the editing and did a fine job." Concluding, Knight stated, "The experience of viewing this encourages the idea that one must turn their back on hatred and violence and reveals the importance and joy of embracing good."[17]

## Accolades

[edit]

Award  | Date of ceremony  | Category  | Recipient(s)  | Result  | Ref.

|
|
|
|
|

Tribeca Festival | 16 June 2022  | Special Jury Mention for Best Documentary Short  | Stranger at the Gate | Won  | [18]
Indy Shorts International Film Festival  | 24 July 2022  | Grand Prize, Documentary  | Won  | [19][20]
Breckenridge Film Festival  | 18 September 2022  | Best Editing  | Jeremy Medoff  | Won  | [21]
Virginia Film Festival | 7 November 2022  | Audience Award Documentary Short Film  | Stranger at the Gate | Won  | [22]
Critics' Choice Documentary Awards | 12 November 2022 | Best Documentary Short Film  | Nominated  | [23]
Academy Awards | 12 March 2023 | Best Documentary Short Film | Nominated  | [5][24]

### Other awards

[edit]

* 2022 El-Hibri Foundation Peace Award: Joshua Seftel \- Fearless Ally Award.[25]

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "Five New Yorker Films Receive 2023 Academy Award Nominations". The New Yorker. January 24, 2023. Retrieved January 27, 2023.
2. ^ Frater, Patrick (January 12, 2023). "Malala Yousafzai Boards 'Stranger at the Gate,' Oscar Shortlist Film About U.S. Marine's Conversion to Islam". Variety. Retrieved January 27, 2023.
3. ^ A Veteran’s Return from the Brink of Terrorism | Stranger at the Gate | The New Yorker Documentary. YouTube. The New Yorker. September 14, 2022. Retrieved January 27, 2023.
4. ^ "2023 Oscars Nominations: See the Full List". Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. January 27, 2023. Retrieved January 27, 2023.
5. ^ a b Lewis, Hilary (January 24, 2023). "Oscars: Full List of Nominations". Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved January 27, 2023.
6. ^ a b Morris, Greggory (September 10, 2022). "Stranger at the Gate Film Review". Hunter Word. Retrieved January 27, 2023.
7. ^ "Stranger at the Gate: Director's Q&A". Stranger at the Gate. Retrieved January 28, 2023.
8. ^ "Stranger at the Gate, Sarasota Film Festival 2022, Short Film, The Humans Behind Headlines: Documentary Shorts". Sarasota Film Festival. April 1, 2022. Retrieved January 27, 2023.
9. ^ "Shorts:New York Premiere, Stranger at the Gate". Tribeca Film Center. June 1, 2022. Retrieved January 27, 2023.
10. ^ "Welcome to the 23rd Annual Port Townsend Film Festival!, September 22-25, 2022". Port Townsend Film Festival. September 22, 2022. Retrieved January 28, 2023.
11. ^ Nikkhah Azad, Navid (September 24, 2022). "Stranger at the Gate, a timely, award-winning documentary about a planned hate crime that takes a stunning turn". Deed News. Retrieved January 28, 2023.
12. ^ Geiger, Jefferson (September 15, 2022). "Annual Breck Film Festival brings drama, comedy, documentaries and more to Summit County and personal devices". Summit Daily. Retrieved January 28, 2023.
13. ^ "Stranger at the Gate, Documentary Short". BendFilm Festival. October 7, 2022. Retrieved January 28, 2023.
14. ^ "Stranger at the Gate, Documentary Short". Hamptons International Film Festival. October 7, 2022. Retrieved January 28, 2023.
15. ^ "Stranger at the Gate: A Veteran's Return from the Brink of Terrorism". The New Yorker. September 14, 2022. Retrieved January 27, 2023.
16. ^ Kermode, Jennie (September 14, 2022). "Stranger At The Gate". Eye for Film. Retrieved January 27, 2023.
17. ^ Morris, Jason Knight (September 24, 2022). "Stranger at The Gate: Film Review". UK Film Review. Retrieved January 28, 2023.
18. ^ Lewis, Hilary (June 16, 2022). "Tribeca Festival: 'Good Girl Jane,' 'The Cave of Adullam' Among Top Competition Winners". Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved January 27, 2023.
19. ^ "2022 Indy Shorts International Film Festival Official Selections". Letterboxd Limited. July 19, 2022. Retrieved January 27, 2023.
20. ^ Chapman, Jessica (July 25, 2022). "Indy Shorts International Film Festival Announces Academy Award®-Qualifying Winners". Heartland Film. Retrieved January 27, 2023.
21. ^ Geiger, Jefferson (September 18, 2022). "Stream these award-winning movies at the virtual Breck Film Festival". Summit Daily. Retrieved January 28, 2023.
22. ^ "2022 Award Winners". Virginia Film Festival. November 7, 2022. Retrieved January 28, 2023.
23. ^ Davis, Clayton (October 17, 2022). "'Fire of Love' and 'Good Night Oppy' Lead Critics Choice Documentary Award Nominations". Variety. Retrieved January 28, 2023.
24. ^ "The 95th Academy Awards | 2023 Dolby Theatre at Ovation Hollywood, Sunday, March 12, 2023, Honoring movies released in 2022". Oscars. January 24, 2023. Retrieved January 28, 2023.
25. ^ "2022 El-Hibri Foundation Peace Awards". The El-Hibri Foundation. August 24, 2022. Retrieved January 28, 2023.

## External links

[edit]

* Official website
* Stranger at the Gate at IMDb
* Stranger at the Gate on The New Yorker's official YouTube channel