Ardern: ‘My story isn’t the one to be told’

The prime minister has addressed ongoing pressure to denounce

the film in development that would focus on her actions in the week after the Christchurch mosque attacks, saying hers is not the story that should be told.

‘‘While it’s for the community to speak for themselves, it’s my view March 15 [2019] remains very raw for New Zealand,’’ Jacinda Ardern said.

‘‘There are plenty of stories from March 15 that could be told, but I don’t consider mine to be one of them.’’ Ardern confirmed she ‘‘had nothing to do with the film in any form and wasn’t consulted on it’’.

Fifty-one people were killed and dozens more injured, following the shootings at Al Noor Mosque and Linwood Islamic Centre in Christchurch. The Dunedin-based shooter was jailed for life.

A number of prominent Kiwis are campaigning to shut down the film, while a petition has garnered over 18,000 signatures.

The hashtag #TheyAreUsShutdown has been trending on New Zealand Twitter since Friday afternoon, with the terms Shut Down, Sign The Petition, and FilmNation Entertainment

– the film’s US production company – also trending.

Green MP Golriz Ghahraman is among those who have denounced the film.

‘‘This is white supremacy btw [by they way],’’ she tweeted in response to the film’s Kiwi writerdirector, Andrew Niccol, saying the film was ‘‘not so much about the attack but the response to the attack’’.

She used the hashtag #TheyAreUsShutdown in two tweets on Friday, and retweeted several other statements critical of the film.

Christchurch Mayor Leanne Dalziel also took to Twitter to criticise the production company.

‘‘I was shocked to read coverage of FilmNation’s sense of entitlement that leads them to believe they can make this film. This is ‘a’ story. It is not ‘the story’.’’

New Zealand’s Muslim community has been angered by the planned film, because it looks set to focus on the prime minister’s actions, rather than the victims, survivors, and their families.

Many have also expressed frustration at a lack of consultation. The film’s New Zealand producer, Philippa Campbell, said she couldn’t give any detail on the consultation ‘‘out of respect for the people with whom we’ve consulted’’.