For The Visitor (2007), Tom McCarthy won the 2008 Independent Spirit Award for Best Director, while Richard Jenkins was nominated for Best Actor at the 81st Academy Awards®.
Before this role, Haaz Sleiman (as Tarek) had never played the drums and had to practice three hours a day for a month and a half. After watching a documentary on Fela Kuti, Sleiman came up with the idea for Tarek to rehearse in his underwear.
The Visitor (2007) was shot on location in New York City. Some scenes were filmed on campus at Wagner College in Staten Island, New York. The soundtrack includes "Open and Close" and "Je'nwi Teni (Don't Gag Me)," written and performed by Nigerian musician/composer Fela Kuti.
The parking lot in which Walter parks his car after arriving in New York --- on East 11th Street between 1st and 2nd Avenue --- was torn down shortly after the film was released.
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