So how did the movie come about?

I presume this isnt something you take on lightly…

Yeah, this doesnt come out of nowhere.

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Right away I was stunned by the size and depth of it.

It was something that I wasnt aware of and I didnt feel people in general were aware of.

And I thought this is a really important, and interesting, subject to make a movie about.

You co-wrote the film with former FBI agent Mike German, whod been undercover with white supremacists himself.

How did he get involved?

So once I became interested in the community, I started researching it.

And in that research I came across Mike and his story.

Immediately it felt like a great way into this story, to see it through an undercover agents eyes.

So I tracked him down.

At the time he was a Policy Council for the American Civil Liberties Union.

What sort of research were you doing?

I had weekly four hour meetings with Mike, but I was also doing all of my own research.

And then of course with the white supremacists, theres a ton of stuff online.

It is a pretty heavy, depressing subject to be immersed in.

Did you find it emotionally draining to be constantly surrounded by it?

And there were times during that where I was asking Why am I doing this movie!?!

But its not just because the worldview is so dark, and consequences it leads to are even worse.

But there are people who leave the movement all the time.

There are several montages of photos and videos of real life Neo Nazis and KKK rallies in the film.

What was thought behind including those?

Were these deliberate attempts to show how Muslim and domestic terrorists are depicted?

So Id say a couple of things.

And that was an important point to make.

If were going to have a dialogue about terrorism, why not make it as accurate as possible?

One of the huge issues with this whole problem is how do we define terrorism.

There can be a very selective and arbitrary designation when it comes to the word.

Heres the thing: there are many different definitions of terrorism.

The way I look at it, its violence that has a political intention.

Do you think its possible to see the humanity in the white supremacist movement, as a filmmaker?

Thats how you find your way in.

Was that based on a real person?

And everyone in the movement said he was just trying to make money out of it.

I was wondering if youve seenGreen Roomyet, which came out earlier this year and is also about Neo-Nazis?

I havent yet, Im dying to!

I loved Jeremy Saulniers previous film [Blue Ruin].

The problem with making a movie is that you see no other movies!

The film definitely draws comparisons with other undercover movies likeDonnie Brasco.

Were there any films that were an influence on you?

Finally, have you had any reaction from white supremacists to the film?

Daniel Ragussis, thank you very much.

Imperiumis in UK cinemas right now.