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The city of Hanau, but also the families of the victims, reacted with horror and indignation to a film project by director Uwe Boll about the racially motivated attack with nine dead.

"We all - the families of the victims, the magistrate as well as the head of the city council and the parliamentary groups - urge you to stop the preparations immediately and to refrain from shooting to make this film," said an open letter to Boll the city of Hanau published on Friday.

In addition to the families of the victims, it was signed by Hanau's mayor, Claus Kaminsky (SPD), among others.

The "Bild" newspaper had previously reported on the film project.

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Critics once called the German one of the "worst directors in the world".

The filmmaker and producer, who has also worked in the United States and Canada, has won the US negative award "The Golden Raspberry" several times.

Boll has also received the “award” several times, including for his worth of life, summarized in the category: “Worst life's work to date”.

His fans, who are undoubtedly there, view these reviews critically.

Commemoration of the act of February 19, 2020: Bouquets of flowers were laid near the crime scene at Hanauer Heumarkt

Source: dpa

Boll defended his plan.

He is on the side of the victims and wants to contribute to the required clarification of the events, said the director.

It is understandable if the topic is emotionally stressful.

He was also of the opinion "that the film should not necessarily be viewed by the families of the victims," ​​said Boll.

However, the attack once again made clear the dangers of growing right-wing extremism and increasing conspiracy theories, which is why it is important to take up the issue.

The film has already been shot and should be finished in a few months.

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As the “Bild” wants to know, the former child star Radost Bokel (“Momo”) plays a role.

The 90-minute long film will probably be shown on a streaming service, Boll told the paper.

And further: He was also dismayed that the mental state of the apparently mentally ill perpetrator continued to deteriorate over the months and years without any intervention.

Apparently no contact with the relatives

Just over a year ago, a 43-year-old German shot nine people for racist motives in the city in the Rhine-Main area, before he presumably killed his mother and ultimately himself.

The act had caused horror nationwide.

Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier and Hesse’s Prime Minister Volker Bouffier (CDU) took part in a memorial event on the anniversary of the crime on February 19.

A Hanau city spokeswoman said that Boll had not previously contacted the city about the film project.

The victims' families and associations also learned about it from the press, the letter said.

Boll explained that he had contacted the Ferhat Unvar education initiative, but received a signal from there that it was refraining from the project.

Unvar was one of the victims of the attack; his mother founded the education initiative.

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In the open letter, the city and the victims' families stated that the attack on February 19, 2020 had torn many wounds - in the families affected, in the entire city community.

“The city has not been the same since then and we are all doing our best to deal with events appropriately.

It is beyond our imagination what mindset is necessary to film the violent death of nine fellow human beings in a way that, in your own words, is too harsh for the public broadcasters, ”said the city and relatives in the letter looking at a quote from Boll in the "Bild".

If the project was to be implemented, they asked Boll to “respect the personal rights of relatives, their sense of piety and the continued human dignity of the deceased”.

Otherwise, legal action has been announced.