Filmmaker Joshua Seftel looks at a U.S. Marine and the Muslim community he plotted to bomb in his documentary short Stranger at the Gate which premiered at Tribeca Film Festival, and won a Special Jury Mention honor.

“Stranger at the Gate is the story of a collision course between U.S. Marine Richard “Mac” McKinney and the congregants of the Muncie Islamic Center. In a world filled with misunderstanding and seemingly unbridgeable societal gaps, this story has relevance and urgency.” – Joshua Seftel

After 25 years of service, U.S. Marine Mac McKinney returns home to Indiana filled with an all-consuming rage toward the people he had been fighting against. Still fueled by his desire to fight for his country, he plans to bomb the local mosque.

But when he comes face to face with the community of Afghan refugees and others of the Muslim faith that he seeks to kill, his plan takes an unexpected turn.

Stranger at the Gate is the latest film in Joshua Seftel’s Emmy and Peabody-nominated Secret Life of Muslims (SXSW) project, using filmmaking to combat Islamophobia. Seftel, who faced anti-Semitism as a child, has been committed to working on this subject matter for the past seven years.

Watch the official trailer for Stranger at the Gate.