Showtime Developing 'American Jihad' Documentary Inspired by 'Patriots Day'
Showtime is set to put the spotlight on domestic Jihadism in a new documentary, and it feels like every new project being developed has excruciating relevance to the times we live in at this point.
With the working title of American Jihad, the docmentary is being directed by Alison Ellwood and executive produced by Alex Gibney. It will debut on March 11, and will focus on how young men are radicalized to commit terrorism and what can be done to prevent it. Showtime revealed that the film is inspired by last year's Peter Berg-directed, Mark Wahlberg-starring Patriots Day, which charted the aftermath of the Boston Marathon bombing. The documentary will first premiere during closing night at the Big Sky Documentary Film Festival in February.
“The documentary also explores the impact of Anwar al-Awlaki, a U.S. citizen identified by the CIA as an al-Qaeda leader whose charismatic, highly personal recruitment tactics were responsible for influencing other Americans to the Jihadist cause,” said Showtime in a statment on the docu. “As the first American-born terrorist targeted and killed by a U.S. drone strike overseas, his death held worldwide political implications and invigorated the momentum of U.S. radicalism.”
Source: Deadline
