What happened : The Hollywood Reporter said last week that a film called ‘They are us’ was in the works based on the Christchurch mosque attacks where 51 muslims were killed by a white supremacists gunman in March 2019. However, the film would explore the ‘inspirational’ response of New Zealand’s Prime Minister Jacinda Arden rather than the people that were maliciously martyred. The title is based on the words of Arden on the day of the shooting. The Reporter stated that Anew Niccol would write and direct it and Ross Byrne was cast to play Arden. When asked about it at a news conference Arden reaffirmed that the government had no involvement in the film and felt that the Muslim community should be at the center of any film about the shootings, not her.
Thousands signed a petition to stop a Hollywood film about the New Zealand mosque attacks. It will reportedly focus on PM Jacinda Ardern's response — not the 51 Muslims killed, their families or survivors.
Muslims make up just 1.1% of characters in top U.S. films, says a study. pic.twitter.com/2qRAHMUaDA
— AJ+ (@ajplus) June 11, 2021
THANK YOU @jacindaardern for being on the right side of this. People are no longer gonna tolerate de-centering Muslims in their own stories https://t.co/8B6EyneS8g
— Riz Ahmed (@rizwanahmed) June 14, 2021
You do not get to tell this story.
You do not get to turn this into a White Saviour narrative.
This is not yours.
This pain is still fresh and real.
This is upsetting, obscene and grotesque. I am tired. https://t.co/WqyIbBWQ8p
— Mohamed Hassan (@mohamedwashere) June 10, 2021
The response : There was a lot of backlash in response to the movie. Muslim community advocate Guled Mire called the film ‘distasteful’ and feeding into the white saviour mentality. Many Muslims questioned the timing of the film as the wounds caused by the deaths of their loved ones were still raw and painful. The Mayor of Christchurch said film crews would not be welcomed in her city. Moreover, a petition from the National Islamic Youth Association gathered almost 60,000 signatures asking for the movie to be canceled. As a result, the producer of the movie Philippa Campbell pulled out of the project and apologised for her involvement.
In direct response to the petition to shut down They Are Us, Jacinda Ardern has stated that her story is not one that needs to be told. The petition is working, our collective efforts to shut down They Are Us is working. Keeping signing and sharing. #TheyAreUsShutDown
— Shaneel Lal (They/Them) (@shaneellall) June 12, 2021
New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has criticized ‘THEY ARE US’, an upcoming movie about her response to the 2019 Christchurch mosques massacre.
“While there are many stories that should be told at some point, I don’t consider mine to be one of them.”
(Source: Deadline) pic.twitter.com/dtzzqd70FW
— DiscussingFilm (@DiscussingFilm) June 14, 2021
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