Page 30 - ARUBA TODAY

A30 PEOPLE & ARTS
Tuesday 21 November 2017
‘The Wire’ star Sonja Sohn makes

documentary ‘Baltimore Rising’

By MARK KENNEDY ment, even about the ac- feel it. Most people were of
AP Entertainment Writer tivists — the younger ones, one accord, which is, ‘No
NEW YORK (AP) — Sonja the older ones, the conver- matter what happens with
Sohn has gone from being sations that were going on these cases, we’re not go-
in front of the camera to in the street. I had plenty of ing to destroy our city.’
behind it. The actress, who opinions. But, of course, the AP: Are there lessons here
played a Baltimore detec- one thing that you know for other cities, for Ameri-
tive on “The Wire,” has be- you have to at least strive cans?
come a documentary film- for is too keep all those Sohn: When it comes to les-
In this Nov. 14, 2017 photo, Sonja Sohn poses for a portrait in New maker and her debut offer- opinions contained in this sons, I just feel like people
York to promote her documentary, “Baltimore Rising.” ing is a powerful look at her little space and try to be as want to package things
Associated Press beloved adopted city. neutral as possible. sometimes. And maybe
“Baltimore Rising,” which AP: The film has no bad it’s about just moving the
was to debut Monday on guys, just people out there needle.
HBO, examines a fearful trying to keep the city from I love the ‘rah-rah!’ I love
community in the wake violence. the idea of everybody get-
of riots after the death of Sohn: No matter what you ting excited about ‘staying
Freddie Gray, who was fa- can say about our cast, woke’ and ‘being woke.’
tally injured while in police somewhere inside every But are you working? Be-
custody in 2015. Sohn and single cast member, they cause we can talk all day
her team accumulated care about the city. You long. But the reality of it is
some 600 hours of footage might not agree with their that the change you want
over a year to make the stances, their perspectives to see may not happen
90-minute film. and how they show that in your lifetime. Are you
Sohn leveraged the good care and that love, but still willing to work for that
will she created from “The they all care. And I think it’s change?
Wire” as well as her own important, for one second, AP: Can changes in police
help in the community to just remember that so that training have anything to
gain amazing access to when we are in conflict, do with a solution?
both police and social ac- we can communicate with Sohn: The government sees
tivists. Her cameras capture one another in a respectful the police department as
intimate moments around manner. I think that’s im- an extension of the military.
dinner tables, on football portant in today’s world. We see the police depart-
fields and electric moments AP: The legal cases against ment as an extension of
before important decisions. the Freddie Gray officers the community. Therein lies
The Associated Press asked might have led to violence. the rub, the conflict, the
her about her approach Why didn’t it? problem right there. I think
and what lessons there are Sohn: I knew what a jug- if we all get on the same
from Baltimore. gernaut that incident was page — and yes, we can
Associated Press: Was it and the force and the have the rule of law — but
hard putting aside your energy that was released all understand that the po-
personal beliefs to carefully through the incident that lice are an extension of the
listen to all sides? then propelled everyone’s community.
Sohn: Certainly I had opin- work even further. It was They serve at the behest
ions about the case, about like putting a rocket boost- of the community. And,
the way it was handled, er on folks’ motivation. The by the way, so does the
about police, law enforce- city was activated. I could military.q

Author Weir takes readers

to the moon in ‘Artemis’

By JEFF AYERS be reasonably manufac-
Associated Press tured on the surface, along
Andy Weir, author of “The with the occasional sup-
Martian,” takes readers to ply and tourist runs from
another desolate world, home. Each living habitat
but instead of the Red is named for a prominent
Planet it’s the moon, in his member of the original
new novel, “Artemis.” Apollo programs, but each
Weir takes readers on an has distinct features associ-
exploration of the coloni- ated with it, whether it is for
zation of Earth’s nearest the affluent or those barely
neighbor in outer space, able to scrape by and sur-
This cover image released by and it’s not too far into the vive.
Crown shows “Artemis,” by future. Most everything Living in the poorer end of
Any Weir.
Associated Press needed for the modules Artemis is Jasmine Bashara,
of the city of Artemis can aka Jazz.q