Amanda Knox Upcoming Hulu series sparks backlash in Italy

The local population of an Italian city is furious about this Hulu‘is controversial Amanda Knox drama is filming in their region, claiming the upcoming TV show will draw new and unwanted attention to the fact that British student Meredith Kercher was murdered there in 2007.

Production for Blue Moon started last week in Perugia, a medieval city about two hours northeast of Rome. Starring Tell me lies star Grace Van Patten, the eight-episode series is “based on the true story of how Knox was wrongly convicted of the murder of her roommate and her 16-year odyssey to free herself,” according to Hulu’s official synopsis.

Twenty-one-year-old Kercher had been studying abroad in Perugia when she was killed. Her body was found partially undressed with multiple stab wounds. Knox and her then Italian boyfriend, Raffaele Sollecito, were convicted for Kercher’s murder and served four years in prison before being released in 2011 after significant flaws were discovered in the police investigation. They were both finally acquitted in 2015. Rudy Guede was convicted of Kercher’s murder in 2008 and was released from prison in 2021 after serving 13 years of a 16-year sentence.

Now, almost two decades after the international scandal, local residents are concerned that the series will bring new, unwanted attention to their city. “For too long, Perugia was unfortunately famous in the world as the city where Meredith Kercher was murdered,” former Perugia councilor Margherita Scoccia said on Facebook. “Is it right that our community is once again associated with such a terrible crime?” Residents also hung banners around the city that read “Rispetto per Meredith” or “Respect for Meredith.”

The outrage prompted an apology and explanation from Perugia Mayor Vittoria Ferdinandi, who said she believed allowing the production to film in the city would give the community more “control” and consent over “every scene ” which was filmed there.

“We could not have given permission for the filming of five scenes in Perugia,” Ferdinandi said in an open letter published in regional Italian newspapers. “But they would have been filmed in any other city in our region… We believed that allowing (the scenes) to be filmed here would provide us with an element of greater guarantee and control, because – as we requested – in be able to view and authorize the images. every scene.”

Knox and Monica Lewinsky, among others, are executive producers of the project This is usKJ Steinberg, who is also the creator of the series.

Last week, Kercher’s sister addressed the series, saying she found it “difficult to understand” what purpose the show would serve. “Meredith will always be remembered for her own struggle for life, and yet her love and personality continue to shine in her absence,” Stephanie Kercher said in a statement. “We will feel this indescribable emptiness forever, but we will live with dignity according to Meredith standards.”