When I was writing the screenplay for this film in 1999, I drew considerably from my interest in activism and the protest scene. Friends and I attended several demonstrations, and we found it alarming and amusing that so many passionate people representing meaningful causes were shouting about the injustices that inspired them, with little bandwidth to listen to or support other worthy causes. This became the genesis of and initial inspiration for the film.
With almost no money but a small army of devoted friends, we set out to make our micro-budget comedy. However, shortly after production concluded, 9/11 permanently altered the world and our movie instantly felt like an out-of-touch period piece, so we buried it. Fast forward a decade and a half, our lead actor, Mahershala Ali, won his first Oscar for Moonlight and, two years later, his second for Green Book. I shared a clip from the movie with him, and he immediately called to implore us to finish the film.
When we revisited the footage, we realized it felt even more relevant twenty years later. The themes were still accessible and, sadly, familiar. Additionally, the film was unexpectedly prescient, as it seemed to anticipate numerous specific events and movements that had occurred in the years between - everything from the Shepard Fairey poster of Obama (and Obama himself) to Occupy Wall Street, The Fyre Festival, and so many more cultural touchstones.
Perhaps the movie will, unfortunately, be perpetually relevant, given that so many young people pass through this phase in life, where they possess little and have an abundance of time and passion, if not the perspective or insight to fully understand the nuances of the causes they champion.
- Daniel Klein