Director to make film based on tragedy at Sandy Hook

NEWTOWN, Conn. (WTNH) -- Is it too soon and too close to home? One film director's idea isn't sitting well with people in Newtown. He's coming to Ridgefield to make a movie about the tragedy at Sandy Hook.

Ridgefield is a beautiful town. It's easy to see why a director would want to film there. And the First Selectman likes the money it would bring.

"People want to make a movie here, obviously we would welcome them, it's economic development, as I said," said First Selectman Rudy Marconi, "but on this particular topic, the answer is no."

That's because the topic of the proposed movie is the tragedy at Sandy Hook Elementary, which happened less than 8 weeks ago.  

"I think it is way too soon and way too inappropriate to be making a film about such a tragedy," said Cynthia Bell-Bucha, of Ridgefield.

"Personally I think it's time for everybody to back off and leave them alone," said Ridgefield resident Marcia Jones. "Let them heal."

And that's why the director says he wants to shoot in Ridgefield instead of in Newtown. The director is a frenchman named Jonathan Bucari.

"Our primary objective is to protect Michael and Samuel Hamilton, the Senator's sons..."

He shot a short movie about an FBI agent at a house in Easton a couple years ago.

The First Selectman tells News 8 there was actually a location crew in town scouting out one of Ridgefield's schools for use in this movie production. The First Selectman would rather we not show that school on TV, just like he'd rather it didn't show up in a movie.

"I just think that, professionally, that this company and Mr. Bucari in particular, should be looking at this professionally and saying this community is not prepared to handle this type of event," said First Selectman Marconi.

"My own feeling is, if it's something that helps get some legislation through that brings the point home that needs to be brought home then maybe it's worth it," Jones said.

That's the closest anyone came to saying they liked the idea. With the town against it, permits will be very hard to get, and if Bucari tries to film at a school without permission the First Selectman says, "if he were to show up here, he would be escorted out of town PDQ."