Unease over film on mosque attack
A film about the aftermath of the 2019 Christchurch mosque attacks has ‘‘blindsided’’ members of Christchurch’s Muslim community, with many unimpressed Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern is to be the leading character.
They Are Us, billed as an ‘‘inspirational story about the young leader’s response to the tragic events’’, will star Australian actress Rose Byrne as Ardern. The film will follow the prime minister in the week after the attacks, as she helped rally the country behind a message of compassion and unity. It will be directed, and was written, by Kiwi Andrew Niccol (Gattaca), who, according to The Hollywood Reporter, developed the script ‘‘in consultation with several members of the mosques affected by the tragedy’’.
Members of New Zealand’s Muslim community have criticised the idea, with advocate Guled Mire fearing it would feed ‘‘this problematic white saviour mentality’’ and calling for it to be shut down.
Aya Al-Umari, whose brother Hussein was among the 51 people killed in the attacks on March 15, 2019, said she learnt about the film on social media. Nobody in her circle had been consulted and she had not heard of the production approaching anyone at all.
New Zealand producer Philippa Campbell, who is among those who will present They Are Us to potential foreign investors at the upcoming Cannes Film Festival, said she could not give any detail regarding consultation ‘‘out of respect for the people with whom we have consulted during the development of the script’’.
The film ‘‘illustrates the reality that there were a host of heroes during that week, including the PM, members of the two mosques and citizens of Christchurch’’, she said.
Ardern said yesterday that neither she nor the Government had any involvement with the production.
Campbell acknowledged the subject matter was a sensitive one. The idea for the film came from producer Ayman Jamal, who had spent time working in New Zealand before the attacks and was inspired by Ardern’s call for unity, which included the title line.
Other Kiwi Muslims have called for the film’s profits to go towards survivors and the counter-terrorism effort, which Campbell said was ‘‘something to consider when the
project is further advanced’’.
Tony Green, a member of the Masjid An-Nur who acted as a media spokesman for the Muslim Association of Canterbury after the attacks, said he was also unaware of any consultation and had spoken with at least one family member of a March 15 victim who was angered by news of the project.
‘‘If you were serious about a movie which was about possibly New Zealand’s worst event domestically, you would want to know this was grounded in a fairly wide, a decent coverage of those who were affected. At first glance, we have all been blindsided by this.’’
There were ‘‘big questions’’ that needed to be asked, he said, around the representation of victims and of the tragedy itself.
In a statement, Christchurch Muslim Association spokesperson Abdigani Ali echoed Green’s concerns.
‘‘There are still many sensitivities around the tragic events of March 15 and although recognition of our prime minister for her response to attacks is well deserved, we question the timing and whether a movie is appropriate right now,’’ Ali said.
‘‘We do recognise that the March 15th story will need to be told but we would want to ensure that it is done in an appropriate, authentic and sensitive manner. There needs to be a lot of work done in New Zealand in terms of hate speech laws, recognising Islamophobia does exist in our society and the institutional prejudice within our government apparatus before a blockbuster film comes out stating that we have done a great job here in New Zealand.’’
Mire, an advocate for Muslim New Zealanders, said the film was ‘‘absolutely insensitive’’ .
‘‘Jacinda Ardern’s response in those initial days was commendable from an international perspective but the bar is very low.’’