The documentary “The Witness,” which follows the story of the murder of Kitty Genovese, is getting the narrative film treatment, Deadline reports. Killer Films’ Christine Vachon and Pamela Koffler are set to produce, along with Rachael Horovitz and David O. Russell.
“The Witness” examines the 1964 murder of Kitty Genovese, an attack that Deadline writes “shocked the city after The New York Times reported that 38 witnesses saw her being murdered or heard her screams for help. Not only didn’t they help, they didn’t even pick up the phone to call the police.” The doc “chronicles the efforts of her brother, Bill, to search for the truth. He unraveled and debunked myths that defined his life and brought shame to a neighborhood and a city. In the process, it allowed a brother to reclaim his sister’s forgotten life from an infamous death.”
The film took 11 years to make and has been shortlisted for the Academy Awards. Its director, James Solomon, will write the screenplay for the narrative film.
Though the story is focused on the murder of a woman, the documentary was pretty male-centric, with much of the attention going to Genovese’s brother, Bill. Perhaps the narrative retelling will be a bit more female-centric. Let’s also hope for a female director on the project.
