Date changed out of ‘respect to victim’s families’
PRODUCERS of a forthcoming film based on the aftermath of the 7/7 London suicide bombings have postponed the release date of the film after it prompted outrage from survivors of the terror attack.
PRODUCERS of a forthcoming film based on the aftermath of the 7/7 London suicide bombings have postponed the release date of the film after it prompted outrage from survivors of the terror attack.
‘Shoot on Sight’, directed by Jag Mundhra, is based on the London Police’s order to shoot suspected terrorists following the July 7 London bombings and includes an all-star cast including Brian Cox, Greta Scacchi, Naseeruddin Shah, Om Puri, Ralph Ineson and Sadie Frost.
The film was originally scheduled for a July 11 release – just four days after the third anniversary of the attacks which left 52 people dead.
But after outrage from survivors and victims families producers have now moved the films release date to July 25.
Producer Aron Govil said the decision was made “out of respect to the victim’s familes”.
“Although not directly about the events of 7th July 2005, the film obviously deals with incredibly sensitive issues and we feel that 11th of July is simply too close to the third anniversary of the attacks”, he said.
“Equally, this film raises important questions about the climate of fear post 7/7 and the direct impact of that terrible day. While we are mindful that the families are still grieving, it is important to look at the climate within which Londoners now live and work and have been forced to deal with on an ongoing basis.”
The film is the first cinema release to tackle the issue of suicide bombings on UK soil and the country’s ongoing threat from home-grown terrorists linked to fundamentalist Islam.
The film tells the story of an innocent Muslim man who is wrongly killed by police in the wake of 7/7.
Mundhra was inspired by his experiences in the immediate aftermath of the London bombings.
He found that life and the way he was perceived by Londoners had completely changed and was struck by how even the most basic of everyday routines had been irrevocably altered.
“Having lived and worked in London for many years I became very aware of and affected by how peoples’ attitudes were changing towards me. Taxi drivers would not stop for me in the days following 7/7 and I could completely understand why.” explains Mundhra. “The fact that I had always found London to be an extremely culturally tolerant city made this change in atmosphere all the more shocking.”
Shoot on Sight will be released in the UK nationwide on July 25th 2008.
