Ed., November 24: After significant protest by Perugia residents, the Blue Moon production has moved to Olevano Romano in Lazio. Corriere della Sera reports that some scenes will still be filmed in the historic center of Perugia, but that the crime scene will be reproduced in Olevano Romano in a small villa that closely resembles the original site. Mayor Umberto Quaresima told Il Messaggero, “Although the story is terrible, the images of beautiful and evocative views can help bring visibility to our town.”
On November 1 — 17 years after the 21-year-old English exchange student Meredith Kercher was found dead in her home in Perugia and her American roommate Amanda Knox was arrested and charged with the killing — a Hulu limited series produced by Knox and Monica Lewinsky began filming in the Umbrian hilltop town of Orvieto. In the weeks since, the crew has been on the ground in Perugia, where residents, eager to move on from the tragedy and the pain and publicity it has brought the region, have expressed outrage and solidarity with the Kercher family.
Residents in Perugia and Orvieto say the filming’s coinciding with the anniversary feels especially cruel. The Kercher family issued a statement earlier this month saying that they found it “difficult to understand” how the series served any purpose.
According to Hulu, the series, provisionally titled Blue Moon, focuses on Amanda Knox’s legal battle and 16-year quest to clear her name. (Knox and her then-boyfriend Raffaele Sollecito were both acquitted of the murder in 2015 after spending four years in prison. The only person definitively convicted of the killing was Rudy Guede, who was released from prison in 2021 on good behavior grounds after serving 13 years of a 16-year sentence.)
Wounds on the ground still raw
The Blue Moon crew began their work in Orvieto, where local disruptions were covered almost exclusively by the Italian press. But when they moved to Perugia, the immediate pushback quickly made international headlines.
Many Perugia residents reacted by hanging banners with phrases including “Rispetto per Meredith” (Respect for Meredith). The community response prompted the mayor of Perugia, Vittoria Ferdinandi, to write an open letter of apology to citizens for allowing the crew to film locally.
The mayor recalled the period when her hometown was first thrust into the spotlight for the gruesome crime. “I am the same age that Meredith would have been today, I frequented the same places, the same clubs, the same Perugia full of life and wonder of those years. I remember the weight and the pain of that life torn away so violently," Ferdinandi said.
Ferdinandi explained that the decision to allow on-the-ground production to go ahead was not made lightly, and that authorities thought it increased the likelihood of retaining a measure of control. The production “would have gone ahead [elsewhere] regardless,” Ferdinandi said. But in making this decision “to protect the image of the city,” Ferdinandi continued, “I lost sight of the people and their pain.”
In addition to reigniting traumatic local memories, Knox has been accused of capitalizing on Kercher’s murder. The Blue Moon series, which was announced by Deadline in January of this year, is the latest in a long string of Knox’s projects, including a reportedly $4 million memoir deal and participation in a 2016 Netflix true-crime series, that critics and many Italian communities view as exploitative.
Orvieto resident Tom, 49, who asked to be identified by his first name only, expressed frustration with Knox’s lack of sensitivity.
“I don’t know if Knox was involved in the murder; I doubt she knows herself at this point. I don’t envy what she’s gone through, but for everyone’s sake — above all the Kerchers’ — she ought to get out of the limelight,” Tom said. “How many people even remember Meredith Kercher’s name?”
Many Umbria residents still resent Knox for having falsely implicated bar owner Patrick Lumumba, her boss at a part-time job, as Kercher’s killer. The Congolese national spent two weeks in jail before a witness came forward with a solid alibi, and reportedly never received the compensation Knox was ordered to pay him following a slander charge in 2009. Lumumba lost his business and moved his family to Poland, where he lives today. In June of this year, an Italian court upheld Knox’s slander conviction.
Where the Kercher family stands
Back in 2017, to mark the 10-year anniversary of her sister Meredith’s death, Stephanie Kercher wrote a lengthy and heartfelt statement originally shared with The Guardian that was recently passed to Italy Magazine. The statement expressed Meredith’s deep affection for Italy, describing her sister as “the girl who felt for Italy like her own home.” Stephanie also recalled Meredith’s excitement when her placement in Perugia came through, writing, “She was determined and adamant to live like an Italian and immerse herself in the culture.”
The Kercher family has since stayed mostly quiet in the face of continued media storms and Knox’s rehashing of events, but the Hulu series prompted a rare reaction earlier this month.
Stephanie Kercher issued another statement to The Guardian saying that Meredith “will forever hold a lasting legacy in friendship and kindness that no media can change…Meredith will always be remembered for her own fight for life, and yet in her absence, her love and personality continue to shine.” She said the family would continue to feel “an indescribable void, but will live by Meredith’s standards with dignity.”
