For Hartley , writing and directing '' No Such Thing '' was like coming " full circle for a filmmaker " : early in his career he had written a script for a horror film , later revised to be a vampire film ; that movie was never made , but '' No Such Thing '' mirrors its ideas . It was shot in Iceland and New York City during September and October 2000 . It was the first Hartley production for a major company , MGM/United Artists , and Francis Ford Coppola was one of the executive producers . The film was ill received at the Cannes Film Festival , after which the studio demanded the movie be recut . Hartley refused , and Coppola supported him . These events , and the September 11 attacks , complicated the relation with the studio . The release , in early 2002 , was a low-key affair ; after two weeks , only three screens showed the film . It went to home video within months . In 2012 , the film 's screenplay was made available on Hal Hartley 's website in a book that also included the screenplays for '' The Book of Life '' and '' The Girl From Monday ''
September 11 attacks
September 11 attacks
No Such Thing (film)