The Gregory of Italy affair
Sordid detail, the death of the teenager and the identity of her murderer had been announced to the mother live during the television program Who saw it?the equivalent of Lost sight of broadcast on TF1 a long time ago: “I’m told that Sarah’s body has been found… According to the agencies, your brother-in-law Michele has confessed… If you want, Concetta, we’ll stop the show immediately…”
The investigation will ultimately reveal that it was not the brother-in-law who killed Sarah Scazzi but Sabrina, his daughter and best friend of the victim, helped by her mother. At issue: a sentimental story. They are both serving life sentences. The father-in-law was sentenced to eight years in prison for hiding the body. He was released this year.
The affair, its family dimension, the twists and turns and the media hype surrounding it, make this case the Grégory affair of Italy!
40 years ago, the affair of little Grégory Villemin broke out: “We know neither where, nor how, nor what he died of, let alone who killed him”
Disney condemned
The story inspired fiction in the form of a four-episode miniseries which was to be released online on Disney + on October 25. This was without counting on legal action from the small town where the real tragedy took place. There is no question for Avetrana and its mayor to suffer negative publicity because of the title of the entertainment giant’s series. Because the fiction was titled: Avetrana – this is not Hollywood, of the name of the municipality in question in question, or, in English: Avetrana – This is not Hollywood.
Note that in French, the title did not pose a problem since the series in question is called Sarah Scazzi – The murder that tore Italy apartnamed after the victim. It is available on the Disney + platform.
At the end of October, the courts, seized by the mayor of Avetrana, ruled in favor of the small Italian municipality of 6,500 souls. It forced Disney + to delay the release of its program and to change its name. Now accessible on the Disney + platform, it is simply titled This isn’t Hollywood.
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A precedent that could have serious consequences
David therefore defeated Goliath, to the great dismay of the film and television industry who denounce a “serious violation of the principle of freedom of expression”. On closer inspection, the judgment rendered in Italy could have much wider repercussions. It constitutes a precedent which could be brandished as soon as a geographical entity is cited in the title of a work. Let’s imagine that instead of seeing this as a welcome advertisement, the regions mentioned in the different episodes of Murder at… came to complain about the negative image that the series gives of them? Or all the detective series of the genre The Experts…
Even more worrying: what will happen in the future to the possibility of adapting fictional films and series based on real events to the screen? Besides, the Avetrana affair is not over. Justice must still decide the question of the damages claimed by the municipality…
