QUEENS — A new movie telling the story of Kitty Genovese, whose murder more than 50 years ago shook the quiet neighborhood of Kew Gardens, was recently filmed in Forest Hills and the Bronx, according to published reports.
The movie, called “37,” will be the first about the murder which gave the name to the phenomenon that became known as "Genovese syndrome," or the bystander effect, according to the New York Times.
Genovese, a 28-year-old bar manager, was sexually assaulted and stabbed to death on March 13, 1964, in the hallway of her two-story apartment building on Austin Street, near Lefferts Boulevard.
The movie takes its name from an article published in the New York Times two weeks after the murder, “37 Who Saw Murder Didn’t Call the Police," which claimed that numerous neighbors witnessed Genovese being assaulted but were reluctant to help — an account that was later questioned.
The movie, shot by first-time director, Danish-born Puk Grasten, was filmed in the Bronx and on Austin Street in Forest Hills, according to the Times, because the city does not allow filming in locations where specific crimes actually happened because family members and residents affected by the incidents may still live there.
Some local residents said they were not pleased with the new movie.
"I'm sorry to say, it doesn't sound good. Especially for the residents of Kew Gardens," a local blogger wrote on the Edge of the City website.
The blogger added that the film may be "rehashing a story that forever stained the reputation of the residents of Kew Gardens, and Queens, and all of New York City for that matter — and has since been revealed to be untrue, a gross exaggeration of what actually took place when this young woman was murdered.”
The movie, according to the New York Times, will star Michael Potts and Samira Wiley. Kitty Genovese will be played by Christina Brucato.
Representatives for the movie did not immediately respond to a request seeking comment.
