Port Arthur massacre film, NITRAM, set for release in 2021

News of a film about the man responsible for the Port Arthur massacre was met with instant controversy - now, a furious survivor speaks.

A movie examining the events leading up to the 1996 Port Arthur massacre will debut in cinemas in 2021 - but has already been met with intense criticism on social media.

Tasmanian author Justin Woolley tweeted his thoughts about the film overnight, explaining that he and his family had survived the brutal massacre which left 35 people dead.

“As a survivor of the Port Arthur massacre I would like to state that this can, and let me be clear, f**k the f**k off,” he wrote, sharing a link to a news article about the film.

“I was 12 years old when that guy tried to shoot me. Our family was amazingly lucky given we all walked away. Not interested in ‘exploring this dark chapter of Australian history’ or the ‘study of a man driven to do’ this.”

Author Justin Woolley survived the Port Arthur massacre as a child.

In a media release that avoided mentioning either the massacre or killer Martin Bryant by name, streaming service Stan announced that the film, NITRAM (Martin spelled backwards), “looks at the events leading up to one of the darkest chapters in Australian history in an attempt to understand why and how this atrocity occurred”.

The scripted feature comes from director Justin Kurzel and writer Shaun Grant, the acclaimed team behind True History Of The Kelly Gang and Snowtown.

American actor Caleb Landry Jones (Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri) will play the killer, who went on a gun rampage in and around Tasmania’s Port Arthur historical site in April 1996, leaving 35 people dead and 23 wounded.

Caleb Landry Jones, 30, in a scene from the film.

Port Arthur killer Martin Bryant.

Next year marks the 25th anniversary of the attack, which remains the worst massacre in modern Australia committed by a single person.

Judy Davis (The Dressmaker), Essie Davis (True History Of The Kelly Gang) and Anthony LaPaglia (Lantana) have also signed on to appear in the film, which is currently in production in Geelong, Victoria.

The Sydney Morning Herald reports that filming is taking place in Victoria due to fears the subject matter “would still prove too sensitive” to be made in Tasmania.

SMH reports the film will not depict the shooting spree, and will also not refer to the killer by name.

But news of the film was met with a fierce backlash on social media:

Discovered why Port Arthur is trending, and... I'm struggling to think of a worse storytelling decision than 'exploring the motivations' of that man. Why on earth would you give him a movie? First Snowtown and now this? Absolutely not, no thank you.

— Anna Vidot (@AnnaVidot) November 30, 2020

Just adding my voice to the growing list of people on here who think a film that dramatises the Port Arthur massacre is a terrible idea and increasingly disrespectful to all the families involved and the surrounding communities. I don’t want to see that man glorified in any way

— Brent Smedley (@boring_smed) November 30, 2020

Been mulling this for a few hours now, and I've concluded that my initial, visceral reaction stays: no part of me feels good about the idea of seeing a Port Arthur film.

— Matthew Denby (@MrMattDenby) November 30, 2020

No one wants to see a film about Martin Bryant, no one.

— marcus kelson (@marcuskelson) November 30, 2020

The Port Arthur massacre IS NOT ENTERTAINMENT. And that these filmmakers want to profit off it is grotesque. Nobody needs to understand Martin Bryant or relive what happened. That man ruined so many lives. We all live with it today. This film must be stopped. https://t.co/6GxgFWqsoU

— Dr Penelope Impact (@RedFiddler) November 30, 2020

Don’t think anyone should be “cancelled” but it’s interesting what kind of mass murders we’re keen to humanise and understand https://t.co/dliU2qM0HF pic.twitter.com/ve8WLVUI9H

— Osman Faruqi (@oz_f) November 30, 2020

That film about the Port Arthur murderer "focuses on the events leading up to the day in a bid to understand the factors that led to the development of a mass killer".

No. No. A million times no.

— Michael Byrnes (@MichaelByrnes) November 30, 2020

Making a movie out of others’ misery is just cruel. No other word. Thinking of you all @PortArthur

— Oxy Moron (@curator_oxalis) November 30, 2020

They are gonna be treading a fine line on getting this right... If they make Martin Bryant’s character even slightly sympathetic/relatable then I think Australian audiences will be turned off

— Dave (@davey0511) November 30, 2020

“Stan is pleased to again collaborate with Justin Kurzel and Shaun Grant and we have complete faith in the NITRAM team’s creative vision and ability to handle the film’s subject matter with sensitivity and respect,” Stan chief content officer Nick Forward said in a statement.

The front page of the Herald Sun as news broke, and before the final death toll.

RELATED: Port Arthur massacre survivors share unheard stories

NITRAM will premiere at the Melbourne International Film Festival next year, before becoming available on Stan.

The massacre horrified people around the world, and led to major changes in Australia’s gun laws. Bryant was sentenced to 35 life sentences without parole and remains in prison.

Originally published as Port Arthur massacre film, NITRAM, set for release in 2021