Film shot in Mahoning Valley produces outrage

YOUNGSTOWN — The trailer for a soon-to-be-finished film that was shot in Youngstown has unleashed waves of criticism in Norway because of its content.

The film, “Utoya Island,” was directed and produced by Russian-born filmmaker Vitaliy Versace of Cleveland, who makes very-low budget films, frequently in the Youngstown area. It is about the July 22 mass murder of 69 children at a Labor Party youth camp on Utoya Island in Norway by a gun-toting man who dressed as a police officer.

A 70-second teaser for the film was posted Sept. 24 on YouTube.com. It has elicited threats via letters and emails to Versace’s agent in Los Angeles from people in Norway and other nations.

Versace said that police in Norway have sent him a letter noting that he is not breaking any law but asking him to remove the trailer.

As of Saturday night, the trailer was still online and had more than 254,000 views, but it carried a warning posted by Youtube to viewers of its subject matter.

Critics say it’s much too soon to make a film about the tragedy and claim Versace’s film is insensitive.

“It is important to find a way to retell what happened,” Utoya Island survivor Adrian Pracon told mediaite.com. “But seeing it [done in] this way is simply disgusting.”

But Versace said “it’s never too soon for a producer to make a film,” and he refused to remove the trailer.

For the complete story, read Sunday's Vindicator and Vindy.com