“The municipal administration of Avetrana disavows the choice to use the name of the municipality in the title of the film relating to the murder of Sara Scazzi. He also disavows rumors of alleged agreements or participation in revenues for the Municipality. It reserves the right to evaluate possible legal action”. With this social message the mayor of Avetrana Antonio Iazzi he had clarified his position in September 2024, shortly after the release of the series trailer “Avetrana – This is not Hollywood”, available on Disney+ from October 25th.
The trailer of the series, directed by Pippo Mezzapesa, has a claustrophobic setting, which in fact is expected from a news case like this: the murder of the 15-year-old Sarah Scazzifor which her cousin and maternal aunt, Sabrina Misseri and Cosima Serrano, were sentenced to life imprisonment. The uncle Michele Misseriwho accused himself of the crime on some occasions, was instead convicted of suppression of a corpse, tampering with evidence and self-slander in two different judicial proceedings: the man has been free, after serving his sentence, since February 2024. “ I believe he is interested in following the series,” the lawyer explains to IlGiornale Luca La Tanzawho followed Michele Misseri until his release.
Lawyer, the series “Avetrana – This is not Hollywood” is about to be released. Will you or your client watch it?
“No, I have no interest. By choice I have different interests rather than watching series in general and this one in particular. As for Michele Misseri, I can’t tell you, because I haven’t heard from him since last February, when he was released from prison. But I think he has interest, I think he will follow it.”
What do you think of the fact that the mayor of Avetrana is considering legal action for the use of the town’s name?
“Lately I know that, regarding this matter, the perception of Avetrana has changed. Among other things, as more than someone has pointed out, the image of a place does not ‘ruin’ its name. For example, more than someone has given the example of Sicily or Naples: many films set in these places have been made, films about the underworld or the Camorra, yet Sicily and Naples have grown as cities, as places, as territories. The mayor’s outburst may have been an initial outing that perhaps he didn’t think much about, but I don’t know how much it could lead to possible legal action: Avetrana is a small town that will always be remembered for this affair, at least until something else happens positive.”
It’s too early to say what the content of the series will be – the trailer may be misleading. But what could seeing those claustrophobic atmospheres mean for the Avetrana community?
“Forgive me, I didn’t see anything. What do you mean about atmospheres?”.
The murder of Sarah Scazzi was, of course, a terrible event. The trailer reflects anguish and mystery.
“I repeat, I have not seen the trailer. But I believe that those who make cinema or television are used to creating certain settings to gain greater attention. Then maybe the place turns out to be different in reality: we are still talking about a sunny town, a place almost on the sea that attracts many people in the summer. They will be choices made by producers that do not change reality.”
The continuous demand from the public for true crime topics always leads to new productions. What could it mean for those who experienced the case from the inside?
“Unfortunately, for about ten or fifteen years now, crime news events have been intertwined with judicial news events and with the investigations themselves. I have always been of the opinion that trials should be held in the courts, while journalists should do their work separately from the work of investigators. But there is also another thing.”
What?
“In the long run, the interest of people, of citizens, in these events is there. But there are offended people who unfortunately relive their own story through series or films that talk about it. They relive a certainly bad and delicate moment in their lives. And there are also people who have committed a certain act and who also relive it in a different way.”
Are you interested in the topic?
Sarah Scazzi
In recent days, a man confessed to journalists that he had killed his mother. Many have brought to mind the moment in which Concetta Serrano was told live of the discovery of Sarah’s body, but we also went further back to the tragedy of Alfredino Rampi. In recent weeks and months there have also been false statements attributed to confessed criminals, as well as leaks of alleged information in relation to ongoing investigations. Do you think the media are becoming increasingly “cumbersome” in crime cases?
“Yes, as I have already answered you before, I am not in favor of this intertwining between, let’s say, judicial assault journalism and what are instead the activities of the investigators and the activities of the various procedural parties – public prosecutor, defense and others.
This exaggerated media exposure leads to reporting many different statements that can lead to a conflict when no proof is found, and also to not ultimately proving what could be actual responsibility. I realize that it is the job of journalists but it is exaggerating a bit.”