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CIVIC DUTY PRODUCTION NOTES An American accountant bombarded with cable news and the media's obsession with terrorist plots in the post 9-11 world, receives a jolt when an unattached Islamic graduate student moves in next door. The Story Line CIVIC DUTY tells the story of Terry Allen, an all-American accountant who becomes obsessed with CNN's post 9-11 coverage of the "War on Terrorism" after losing his job. His world gets a lot smaller when a “profile-fitting” Islamic student moves in next door. When others disregard Terry's theories about his neighbour, he decides to take matters into his own hands to uncover the truth. A riveting psychological thriller in the tradition of Rear Window, CIVIC DUTY draws the audience into one man's spiral into paranoia fuelled by the media. The History CIVIC DUTY reached Producer Andrew Lanter's desk at the end of 2001 while he was working for the William Morris Agency in Los Angeles. The script seemed ahead of its time with its look at a media-sated American society driven by fear. Lanter felt that it was a film that Americans were not quite ready to see. Unlike other films recently released about the September 11th attacks, CIVIC DUTY does not relive the destruction of the twin towers through the eyes of those who experienced it firsthand. Rather, CIVIC DUTY examines how Americans, including Muslim Americans, coped during the aftermath of the worst terrorist attacks perpetrated on American soil. Lanter notes that September 11th has drastically changed the perception of the general American public. The nation's once seemingly impregnable security walls had been breached creating widespread feelings of insecurity and distrust. It was no longer safe to trust one's neighbour. The emergence of a culture dominated by paranoia and fear. AFI Award winning writer, Andrew Joiner, developed the screenplay for CIVIC DUTY as he struggled with the new way of life that followed the World Trade Center attacks. Joiner felt compelled to write the story of Terry Allen, a middle-class American accountant outraged by the most recent terrorist attacks on his country and the loss of freedom experienced by every American as a result. Joiner was spurred on by a single question: How could Americans prevent this from ever happening again? Writing CIVIC DUTY was an experience Joiner likens to entering a passage in a diary. “It was a documentation of a dark period in my life, which unfortunately still lingers. While the story is extremely personal, it is not a declaration of myself as Terry Allen, or Gabe Hassan, or any combination of the two. It is more an exploration of my personal frustration and my longing for answers in a world that seemingly has less and less of them”. In writing this story Joiner hoped to debate the lines of liberty and security, and “arrive at a greater truth”. There still remains a search for a greater truth that take the form of a collection of difficult questions he is proud to put before audiences in the form of CIVIC DUTY. History tells us that we evolve as a community through discussion and exploration. Joiner’s hope is that CIVIC DUTY will provide an equilibrium that conflicting sides accept in order to move forward. “I hope that the series of questions presented in CIVIC DUTY can in some way contribute to our growth as a community, and eventually our passage beyond this period in time”. Taking it to the Screen With the script complete, Andrew Joiner began seeking out production companies he felt could take CIVIC DUTY to the screen. When the script came across Andrew Lanter’s desk back at William Morris, he immediately felt a meeting of the minds with Joiner and decided Civic Duty would be a script worthy of producing, upon leaving the agency. Both Joiner and Lanter believed that the themes of CIVIC were important to bring to the large screen to bring to light a feeling shared by most Americans after the attack. A feeling that “freedom was compromised by a need for national security, while the country's leaders and the world at large called upon us as Americans, the perceived bastions of humane behaviour, to individually and collectively remain vigilant and serve as the world's protectors. Lanter notes that “this script was written during a time when Congress and the United Nations were granting the United States carte blanche to chase down those thought responsible for the attacks; when the world stood behind the George Bush "Go get 'em" approach." Says Lanter “The film was greenlit even before Peter Krause was secured because the film’s private equity investor really believed in the project and the script”. The script was shown to Canadian Producers Tina Pehme and Kim Roberts of Sepia Films. Pehme felt the script “was a compelling thriller that explored a subject that was at the forefront of the world’s consciousness. I thought it was an excellent opportunity to create a gripping film that keeps audiences on the edge of their seats that at the same time would create an opportunity to discuss the current climate of paranoia and fear that has become part of global culture since 911. I loved that the script raises questions and forces people to look at the issues that the script deals with all within the structure of a taut psychological thriller.” As a result, a partnership between Landslide Pictures and Sepia Films was formed to produce the film. As the project moved forward, the decision was made to shoot the film in Vancouver, Canada. A small courtyard was chosen as the main set for CIVIC DUTY to create a sense of familiarity for viewers. The Producers wanted the audience to feel as though the events unfolding on screen could be taking place in their own backyards. Although the majority of CIVIC DUTY was filmed in Vancouver, a second unit shot exteriors of New York City which were later inserted into the film. An International Story CIVIC DUTY immediately caught Director Jeff Renfroe's attention. Renfroe was interested in looking at how, "we, as media-sated global citizens are barraged by messages of fear and alarm." He sees CIVIC DUTY as a product of these messages. “(The film) is a study of a society, our society, as it evolves in this post-attack world that is characterized by vigilance and suspicion”. Renfroe was fascinated by the script which contained a series of complex and provocative dilemmas faced by its protagonist Terry Allen. The screenplay also explored larger themes and issues relevant to today's world, such as terrorism, racism and contemporary notions of home and family as well as, "our individual responsibilities as American citizens and the practical meanings and everyday applications of patriotism." Renfroe surmises that the media plays a large role in shaping our perceptions about everything from which toothpaste to buy to the reasons why the nation should go to war. He believes that Americans are indoctrinated to be patriotic. Renfroe saw CIVIC DUTY as an opportunity to create a film, which examines the various facets of patriotism. “I wanted to capture our suspicion, fear, righteousness and madness. I wanted to document that eternal pursuit of status and power and the primal urge to survive that manifests itself so quickly in violence”. Renfroe notes that it was his intention for CIVIC DUTY to entertain audiences but hopes that the film causes viewers "to explore the pride associated with the American dream and expose a grey zone where black and white - right and wrong - are not so easily defined." The Producers believe that the appeal of CIVIC DUTY is that it avoids preaching politics and allows the audience to draw its own conclusions. CIVIC DUTY invites viewers to open a dialogue about the experiences of the characters while examining their own fears and prejudices. A Dedicated Cast The Producers, writer and director all knew how vital casting would be and had cast members in mind from the beginning. Writer Andrew Joiner even wrote the part of Agent Hillary with Richard Schiff in mind to play him, having seen his work on (The West Wing) and in (I am Sam) with Sean Penn. Although initially unavailable because of his shooting schedule on (Six Feet Under), Peter Krause was the natural choice for Terry Allen. As most shooting schedules go, natural delays in production due to the heavy workload in Vancouver coincided with the series finale of Six Feet Under. Krause, upon reading Joiner’s script, immediately signed on and brought a new voice to Joiner's original vision. Krause felt that a character representing the "common man" would be more likeable and accessible to audiences. During an extensive four- day workshop in the Hollywood Hills, Krause, Joiner and Director Jeff Renfroe rewrote the character of Terry Allen. Instead of a right-wing fanatic, Terry Allen became the average man who wanted to live out the American dream. Joiner, Krause and Renfroe created a character that felt he had little influence over his own life, someone who recognized his own insignificance in the greater scheme of things. However, the events following 9-11 radically alter Terry's views and expose his false sense of security. During filming Renfroe and Joiner would often sit with the actors and discuss their roles to help them discover the true voice of their characters. “We held workshops where we pulled the script apart and put it back together. It was important to have the actors in tune with who their characters are; so there would be less acting and more living the moment and living the horror of the moments in this film” says Renfroe.