Movie to be made about Sydney Gang rapists
It's been revealed that a movie called Wrong Girls, which will focus on a Sydney gang rape in 2000 led by brothers, Bilal and Mohamed Skaf, is currently in pre production and will begin shooting as early as next month.
The rape was one in a series of attacks in which four women were gang raped in threee separate incidents with Bilal Skaf recieving 55 years jail but that was later reduced on appeal.
The movie directed by Michael Jenkins (well known for his crime mini series Blue Murder) will direct Wrong Girls which is expected to focus on a Sydney teenager who was gang raped by 14 men 25 times over 6 hours.
So far the film has recieved $51,000 funding from the NSW State Government and the Federal Governments with $21,000 coming from the purse strings of the NSW Film and Television Office with Deputy NSW Premier, John Watkins claiming he was unaware that the NSW Government had given money to the making of the film but he says he is dismayed that such a film is being made
The NSW Rape Crisis Centre said that the making of the film would only trigger the pain felt by all victims of sexual assault while Opposition shadow minister for Police, Mike Gallacher has also questioned the making of fhe fllm, calling it a waste of money and says that the money could be used in other areas and essential services.
This is an awful waste of money...what sick person would want to go and watch a film about a couple of criminals who deserve to rot in jail? It defies belief that ANY government would contribute money to the making of such an awful sounding movie...there are so many things that the State and Federal Governments could have done with that money eg: health, water, the drought etc. One question also has to be asked who gave the rubber stamps for funding to be given to this movie?
The rape was one in a series of attacks in which four women were gang raped in threee separate incidents with Bilal Skaf recieving 55 years jail but that was later reduced on appeal.
The movie directed by Michael Jenkins (well known for his crime mini series Blue Murder) will direct Wrong Girls which is expected to focus on a Sydney teenager who was gang raped by 14 men 25 times over 6 hours.
So far the film has recieved $51,000 funding from the NSW State Government and the Federal Governments with $21,000 coming from the purse strings of the NSW Film and Television Office with Deputy NSW Premier, John Watkins claiming he was unaware that the NSW Government had given money to the making of the film but he says he is dismayed that such a film is being made
The NSW Rape Crisis Centre said that the making of the film would only trigger the pain felt by all victims of sexual assault while Opposition shadow minister for Police, Mike Gallacher has also questioned the making of fhe fllm, calling it a waste of money and says that the money could be used in other areas and essential services.
This is an awful waste of money...what sick person would want to go and watch a film about a couple of criminals who deserve to rot in jail? It defies belief that ANY government would contribute money to the making of such an awful sounding movie...there are so many things that the State and Federal Governments could have done with that money eg: health, water, the drought etc. One question also has to be asked who gave the rubber stamps for funding to be given to this movie?
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I understand how you feel and I must be THE wowser supreme on Orble so I'm certainly glad you are raising this issue.
But, it is just possible that the movie has something of value to offer. Sometimes these things do, even if it lowers the threshold of horror and tolerance of these things.
I certainly hope it wasn't 'rubber stamped' and you've got a good point there.
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Honestly I dunno about this one, I mean there are quite a few rapes happening in the country but that one was pretty widely publicized as something that never happens, something to do with the names of them brothers I presume.
I think it will be made in poor taste, cheap publicity stunt, get some quick cash, I dunno, it is stupid however I look at it, both the wild sensationalizing of a generic rape case (generic within the context of rape) and the subsequent exploitation of it.
Just hope it isn't going to be another one of those 'just bash a minority group cos I feel like it' things.
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Yeah my instant reaction is why would you bother - it's disgusting what happened to these girls.
However as you mentioned, the director Michael Jenkins made a mini series called Blue Murder about Neddy Smith and the corrupt police officer Roger Rogerson. Both heinous individuals.
However, at the end of that mini series you certainly don't feel for these two. The film did depict these two as they are. It didn't glorify or gloss over what these two men did.
So I would hope that the film makers do as good a job on this film. I hope they do not glorify or gloss over the severity of the rapes.
I've heard that the writer wants to concentrate more on the social issues of Muslim men in western society and also concentrate on the victim's point of view.
But as also mentioned in your post the NSW Rape Crisis Centre does have some concerns. Let's hope their concerns are addressed.
Great post.
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This isn't the kind of thing that should be swept under the carpet or made a taboo subject, I'm sure that anyone who makes a film like this isn't exactly keen to sensationalise rape.
Did anyone complain when the film 'The Boys' was made in Australia not too long ago? Whilst it doesn't involve rape, it does touch on similar themes.
Likewise, no one complained when Paul Sheehan wrote a book about the subject recently, called 'Girls Like You'.
These recent incidents of rape are serious, if anything we should be doing everything we can to address the issue - whether it be through book, film or television. I'd sooner have the government fund a film trying to say something important than have them throw money at another piece of worthless bogan comedy ala 'You and Your Stupid Mate'.
I find it hugely hypocritical that anyone would criticise this as a waste of money but wouldn't bat an eyelid at the scores of lightweight australian-made films that flop every year.
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Here is a quote from smh.com.au
"People will see it as absolutely horrific and so will be traumatised and appalled by it, so then will start saying 'I don't want to talk about sexual assault, I don't want to know about it, I don't want to hear about it' and that's not what we want," she told ABC radio.
"We want actually people to open up and debate and talk about causes, consequences and impacts and what we can do about it."
From that quote surely you can appreciate her frustration with it all, considering how hard it is to get rape victims to report their assault.
Should she have final say so over the film, absolutely not and they don't.
Don't mean to take over your post here Julie.
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I do have a problem however if the film is just a public service announcement that is one sided and doesnt look at all angles of the story..or worse still doesnt bring anything new to the table.
If you are going to put the effort in to make a movie about a subject like this then it needs to be told through fresh eyes.
Horrorphile
Still, it gets my goat up that I had a screenplay of mine which dealt with sexual possession (not rape per se, but supernatural forces were involved) rejected by The NSW Wales FIlm & TV office and had an "appraisal" which particularly offended my sensibilities, and yet they throw over twenty grand at this film concept .... Damn hypocrits!
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But it needs to be made properly.
If movies that have the potential to distress certain groups were never made we'd never have a war movie, certainly the movies related to the 9/11 terrorist attacks, movies about murder etc.
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As I said on the other site, if this movie shows the kind of racism amongst minority groups, that led to these deplorable attacks, then I think only good can come of it ... I would not be surprised at a Muslim backlash though, if it is portrayed in it's raw form and not glossed over, which I sincerely hope it is not.
Either way, it makes the culprits accountable and on public display, in a way that the law seems unable to do, anymore? For this reason I think it is vital that the community that spawned this behaviour, see themselves as they are, those still feeling that they live amongst infidels...
Is it possible a film of this magnitude will curb future violence against western women?
I do not feel that the victims of any crime would watch a victim oriented movie such as this, or any of the many others that exist, also caused by the hatred that racism creates.
Lilla
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Thank you for telling me what I think and what I would say.
But your presumption aside, isn't the NSW Rape Crisis Centre entitled to their opinion regarding the film?
Mrs M
But I'm entitled to mine too, and mine is that they're wrong.
As for the Holocaust thing, I think it's a fair comparison. If you disagree, say so and tell me why, don't hide behind the splitting of hairs.
Mum's Word
Is the NSW Rape Crisis Centre wrong because they are calling it to be banned or are they wrong on how they think it will affect victims? Did the NSW Rape Crisis Centre call for it to be banned?
Who and when was it said that the NSW Rape Crisis Centre had the authority to ban films? They don’t. That was never in question. They obviously have some reservations about it. And I think it is reasonable to ask why.
Will sexual assault victims watch the film? I don’t know. But I will say that the NSW Rape Crisis Centre is better versed on how victims might react to the film than I am.
Perhaps the victims do not have to watch the film. The hype surrounding the film might be enough to scare them off.
My initial gut reaction was “no don’t make it” but like I said when I found out who the director attached to the project was and what a good job he has done in the past, I am hopeful and confident that he will do a good job again. Perhaps that wasn’t clear to you in my comment.
A film maker is not all knowing and making a movie on such a sensitive subject I would hope they would consult and consider what relevant groups had to say. I’m not saying you need to ask permission, but surely some consideration is fair. Especially if you want the film to seem credible and not sensationalist bullshit.
I’m also curious, who are the hypocrites you are talking about that are objecting to this film but are obviously the ones who like the crappy dumb comedy films. Are the two mutually exclusive? Are you talking about the politicians who objected to the funding money?
You drew comparison of this story with the Holocaust. When Steven Spielberg made Schindler’s List it was confronting but he managed at the same time to be sensitive to the Holocaust survivors. I’m not saying censor movies, ban movies, but it is possible to make a confronting, compelling, thought provoking film and still be sensitive to a person or persons that might be affected by it.
You mentioned on the other post that “you can’t censor something that doesn’t exist yet, that’s what’s dangerous.” Sure. But accepting blindly is also dangerous. No-one is debating that this is a contentious issue. But the fact that it is a contentious issue means that it’s not unreasonable to be asking what angle the movie is going to take. Will it do more harm than good?
Like you said, rape shouldn’t be swept under the carpet or made a taboo subject but it is a subject that needs to be handled the right way.
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I think they're wrong in saying that it will 'only trigger the pain felt by all victims of sexual assault'. It's a narrow-minded choice of words... 'only' implies that a film like this could do nothing but cause pain. I'm sure it will generate other reactions too, no one can tell what responses this film will get until it is made.
Also, it's a generalising statement - the NSW Rape Crisis Centre doesn't speak for everyone who has ever been raped. No institution can claim that kind of authority as a spokes-piece.
The hypocrites are anyone who complains about this but didn't complain over other wastes of funds like the film 'You and Your Stupid Mate'. I think the funding issue is pretty irrelevant in light of this... it seems people only care where the tax money goes if it's something they personally disagree with, yet if it goes on something they don't particularly care about (IE. A pointless comedy with zero educational or social value) it doesn't seem to bother them that much. Doesn't that seem like a strange way to prioritise what should be complained about as a 'waste of funds'?
And no one's accepting blindly here... the film hasn't even been made yet. We have a board of classification whose job is to regulate and censor films where applicable - let the film be made and THEN they can do THEIR job.
To me, this seems like a whole lot of hoo-har about nothing... like you said, it *is* possible to make a film about a touchy subject whilst remaining sensitive to it (EG. Schindler's List), why shouldn't the makers of this film about rape be given the same benefit of the doubt? It irks me when hundreds of journalists, religious bodies, bloggers, and Jane and Joe Smiths suddenly decide they know what's best or that their voice needs to be heard on an issue they have absolutely no professional authority on. What makes any of us an expert on this? Sure, the NSW Rape Crisis Centre has a right to say something, but the film hasn't even been bloody made yet... and there's no need for every other unqualified person to chip their 99 cents in when there's nothing to really criticise yet.
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If they do, then it shouldn't be made, simple as that really.
Everything else can fall into place *afterwards*.
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You're probably right about the reactions to this film. Hopefully some positive ones come out of it. I guess Jodie Foster's character in The Accused felt empowered.
And I see your point about "the hypocrites". I agree with you. Personally, I can't stand stupid dumb arse comedy films like you say have zero educational or social value. They are a total waste of money. But that's a whole other discussion.
As Ahmed pointed out, I do wonder what the victim has to say about the film.
I've done a little more reading about it, and it is only about one of the girls and it seems like it is going to play out as a court room drama. It looks like it focuses on the aftermath of the rape - not the rape itself.
It's been nice chatting with you Luke.
Julie, I hope this has helped the traffic to your blog.
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Thats how I see it, not that theres anyone who's inherintly 'right'.
anyway, titles that start with 'the' usually suck anyway.
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Y'know ... The James Bond flick License To Kill was originally License Revoked, but producers were worried most Americans wouldn't know what Revoked meant ... James Cameron's The Abyss was nearly renamed for the same reason ...
And the historical drama The Madness of King George was originally titled The Madness of George III, but American distributors demanded a name change as they feared most yanks wouldn't go see the movie 'cos they hadn't seen parts I and II ..... !!!!!
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Flying High is known as Airplane everywhere else in the world..So was Hard Times with james Cogburn and Charlie Bronson which was Streetfighter.....Return Of the Jedi was originally called REVENGE Of the Jedi but thats not the jedi way...
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something like 'King George the Third' would have worked better.
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