Australian actor Rose Byrne has been cast as Jacinda Ardern in a controversial movie centred on the New Zealand prime minister’s response to the 2019 Christchurch terror attacks.
The film is titled They Are Us, a phrase Ms Ardern used in the aftermath of the shootings, which killed 51 people and injured many more.
According to a report by US-based entertainment industry news outlet Deadline, the film is being produced in New Zealand, and has been developed in consultation with members of Canterbury’s Muslim community.
Acclaimed Kiwi director Andrew Niccol – who directed Gattaca and wrote The Truman Show – is behind the project, with Byrne cast as the New Zealand prime minister.
Byrne was raised in Sydney and leapt to stardom from the 2011 film Bridesmaids.
Ms Ardern has distanced herself from the movie, with her spokesman saying “the prime minister and the government have no involvement in the film”.
The film is not being well received in New Zealand, where the trauma of the attack is still raw.
“They Are Us is not so much about the attack but the response to the attack.” Yes, the murder of 51 Muslims people is only the backdrop to the story of a how a white woman became a great leader. BIPOC are really just props in this white peoples world. #TheyAreUsShutDown
— Shaneel Lal (They/Them) (@shaneellall) June 10, 2021
👉🏽 Say no to them using your locations
👉🏽 Say no to hiring gear
👉🏽 Say no to being talent
👉🏽 Say no to being crew
👉🏽 Say no to interviewing them or promoting on your media platforms👉🏽 Say no to “They Are Us” Film#GiveNothingToRacism#TheyAreUsShutdown
— Kera O’Regan | on hiatus (@keraoregan) June 11, 2021
To raise awareness of how racist anti anti-Muslims “They Are Us,” is, tweet with the hashtag #TheyAreUsShutDown
We cannot allow a movie that blatantly erases Muslim people and centres a white woman to go ahead.
And if it does, remember “we are one.” Boycott this movie.
— Shaneel Lal (They/Them) (@shaneellall) June 10, 2021
#TheyAreUsShutDown The fact that they want to make a movie about this horrific day is disgusting. You're not even focusing on the families, not planning on interviewing them or asking the victims who survived what they went through, NO, you're just focusing on Jacinda. WTAF?!
— Some Person (@_Some__Person) June 11, 2021
Aliya Danzeisen, Islamic Women’s Council of New Zealand national coordinator, expressed her disbelief at the film’s production, tweeting “what were they thinking?”.
Aya Al-Umari, whose brother Hussein was murdered in the attack, said it was insensitive, tweeting the classic Kiwi-ism “Yeah nah”.
“I don’t think this film will be received well in New Zealand. My guess is it’s Hollywood over-capitalising this,” she told AAP.
Yeah nah https://t.co/RgnjY5LsDt
— Aya Al-Umari 🇳🇿 آية العمري 🇮🇶 (@AyaUmari) June 10, 2021
Auckland-raised journalist Mohamed Hassan said the movie appeared to centre on Ms Ardern at the expense of the impacted community.
“You do not get to tell this story. You do not get to turn this into a White Saviour narrative,” he tweeted.
“This pain is still fresh and real. This is upsetting, obscene and grotesque.”
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
Still, Mr Niccol has promised an uplifting movie.
“They Are Us is not so much about the attack but the response to the attack (and) how an unprecedented act of hate was overcome by an outpouring of love and support,” he is quoted as saying in the Deadline report.
“The film addresses our common humanity, which is why I think it will speak to people around the world.
“It is an example of how we should respond when there’s an attack on our fellow human beings.”
Last August, Australian man Brenton Tarrant was sentenced to life imprisonment without parole for carrying out the attack.
AAP
