Mosque slams plans for film dramatisation of shootings
Talk of a Hollywood dramatisation of the Christchurch mosque shootings has been slammed by Al Noor Mosque and a top New Zealand director.
Director Moez Masoud yesterday unveiled plans to make a movie about the attacks that claimed 51 lives on March 15.
The Egyptian writer-directorproducer had stated his intention to make the film just nine days after the mosque attacks.
Hollywood newspaper Variety reported that the film’s tentative title is Hello Brother — the words spoken to the accused gunman as he entered the Al Noor Mosque and began shooting.
Film crew members had already visited Christchurch to meet officials and families of the victims of the shooting, as well as survivors and their families.
Rick Castaneda, who co-wrote the script with Masoud, arrived in Christchurch on Monday. He has already spoken with Imam Gamal Fouda, leader of the Al Noor Masjid, and survivor of the attacks.
When contacted by the Herald yesterday, Fouda refused to talk about the possible movie.
Castaneda has also met Linwood Mosque Imam Alabi Lateef Zirullah, who also survived the shooting at his mosque where seven worshippers were gunned down during Friday prayer.
Castaneda confirmed it would be a dramatised movie, which he hoped would “get closer to the truth”.
But Al Noor Masjid spokesman Anthony Green found the movie talk “a little bit staggering”.
He also briefly met Castaneda and found him “sketchy” on details.
“No proper discussion has taken place. How it’s got to this point is quite surprising, to be honest,” Green said.
“The critical thing for us is the protection of the dignity of people trying to get their lives back. So to Hollywoodise it . . . would go against everything we’re trying to do.”
Green was also concerned that the film-makers appear to have “an agenda already decided”.
Kiwi Jason Lei Howden, who has worked on several Hollywood hits, also slammed the idea.
He hoped that if it was to be filmed on location in New Zealand then local crews would “refuse to work on it”.
“Can everyone in NZ boycott this? Stop these ghouls from capitalising on murder,” he posted on Twitter.
Christchurch Mayor Lianne Dalziel wasn’t aware of the film plans.
Masoud is a film producer, Cambridge scholar and noted speaker once described by the Economist as one of the world’s five most influential presenters of the Islamic tradition.