A US movie company who produced a film depicting the tragic death of Port Elizabeth model Reeva Steenkamp at the hands of her paralympian boyfriend, Oscar Pistorius, has released a trailer for ‘Oscar Pistorius: Blade Runner Killer’.
Lifetime Movies, an American digital cable and satellite television network, released the first trailer online. The snippet shows Pistorius shooting his girlfriend and the events culminating in his murder trial. The movie is scheduled to be released this November.
In a brief statement through their lawyer, Tania Koen, the Steenkamp family said that they did not endorse the movie.
“June Steenkamp had no knowledge of the making of the film ‘Oscar Pistorius: Blade Runner Killer’. She was not approached by [Lifetime] to participate, comment or be part of the making thereof. Any impression that is created that this is her view or endorsed by the Steenkamp family, is factually incorrect.” the statement read.
Koen said the Steenkamp’s were still mourning the loss of their daughter and were horrified to read a report that the movie is told from June’s perspective.
“June Steenkamp was not approached by Lifetime to participate, comment or be part of the making of the film, and did not give the producers any assistance. Any impression that is created that this is June’s view, or that this is endorsed by the Steenkamp family, is untrue and incorrect,
Koen said the “damaging and misleading claim which was made in a report by the leading trade newspaper Dateline Hollywood” has not been denied by Lifetime.
“Mr and Mrs Steenkamp politely request that Ms Nancy Dubac, President and Chief Executive Officer of A+E Networks, issue a public denial of the claim in Dateline Hollywood and distance her respectable network from such a disreputable statement.”
The movie purports to depict the rise and fall of Pistorius who was convicted of murdering his girlfriend on Valentine’s Day in 2013.
The paralympian is played by Andreas Damm while Toni Garrn plays Reeva.
Pistorius is currently serving a six year murder sentence. The National Prosecuting Authority is expected to appeal the sentence at the Supreme Court of Appeal on November 3.
According to IOL, the State believes the sentence was too lenient as the jail term was less than half the 15 years they had sought.
Source: IOL