A made-for-TV movie related to December’s Newtown shooting tragedy caused an uproar when its director revealed that he’s planning to film in neighboring Ridgefield, Connecticut — just 20 miles away from where a gunman shot and killed 20 children and six adults before taking his own life. According to the AP, director Jonathan Bucari told media outlets he aims to film his Newtown-themed feature in Ridgefield because it looks similar to Newtown. Per NBC Connecticut, the film’s Facebook page revealed that Demian Productions’ Illness is “the story of a mentally-ill 13-year-old boy, and the ever-growing fear of his parents after they learn about the shooting in Newtown in December 2012.” (The Facebook page and Bucari’s Twitter account appear to have since been taken down.) Bucari is credited as writer and director of a 2011 made-for-TV movie titled The Sacrificial Lamb. Ridgefield Public Schools Superintendent Deborah Lowe called the move “insensitive” while film commissioner Allison Stockel and other local officials said they had not been contacted by the production. Bucari and Demian Productions could not be reached for comment.


I live in CT and I’m sorry, but this is far from insensitive in a society that embraces Honey Boo Boo, Jersey Shore and every other rotting train wreck that’s feasted upon our culture….we’re supposed to get angry at some no name writer who’s simply paving the way for a more refined director to take a crack at depicting the community and the awful tragedy for a later date, and people piling in the theaters to see if they show the kids getting killed for the sake of being “gritty” and “realistic”.
I’m glad you wrote that.
Why do these people – the same people who watch “reality” crap, violent crime procedurals, torture porn (“Saw” and “Hostel” franchises, for example), and entertainment programs revolving around ghastly murders and celebrity scandals – complain when an aspiring screenwriter attempts to get a jump on a story “torn from the headlines”, when they know that Lifetime or some other cable network will broadcast a professional production sooner or later? Not to mention that, when they do, the ratings will be upwards of 3 million viewers.
The hypocrisy in this country – no, this world – astounds me.
This is too soon.
We don’t need a movie about this! Unfortunately we all know way too much.