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PEOPLE & ARTS Thursday 13 sepTember 2018
Q&A: Steve McQueen on his '12 Years' follow-up, 'Widows'

By JAKE COYLE channel Chicago in all its
Associated Press complexities. Chicago is
TORONTO (AP) — Lynda La such a rich environment.
Plante's 1980s British crime The whole cross section of
series "Widows" had a curi- that political base, it all fas-
ous hold of filmmaker Steve cinated me. I'm surprised
McQueen as a 13-year-old there aren't much more
boy. movies made about it be-
The show was about a cause it's there for the tak-
group of women who, af- ing. It's like New York in the
ter their criminal husbands '70s. I love that wonderful
are killed, band together to phrase, which is very Chica-
pull off the raid their dead goan and which might go
spouses had planned. The back to Al Capone: "I gotta
women were, to young guy." It's all about getting
McQueen growing up in something in a crafty way.
London, doing what they "I gotta guy." Fantastic!
were deemed not to be AP: The world in your films,
capable of. from "Hunger" to "12 Years
"I was a person at that time a Slave" to "Widows," seems
who was deemed not to be a mean and nasty place,
capable, as well, being a where it takes just about
young black boy at school killing yourself to keep your
and having to fight my own integrity.
battles of stereotypes and Director Steve McQueen poses with paper cutouts of his face as he attends the premiere for "Wid- McQUEEN: They all deal
ows" on day 3 of the Toronto International Film Festival at Roy Thomson Hall on Saturday, Sept. 8,
people assuming things 2018, in Toronto. with trying to defy one's
about me because of my Associated Press environment that the char-
appearance," says Mc- acters find themselves in,
Queen. "I could relate to Farrell, Robert Duvall, Dan- behind "Widows." pictures at all — but these and how do we transcend
those women. I was going iel Kaluuya, Liam Neeson AP: "Widows" might appear were real, gritty movies that environment. And right
through the same thing." and Brian Tyree Henry. like a heist movie, but the within a genre, and these now the world is a bit of a
More than three decades For one of the foremost genre seems like a mecha- were the biggest movies dark place. It is a bit of a
later, McQueen has adapt- makers of what could be nism for a complex inves- of their time. They brought difficult environment to ex-
ed "Widows" into his much called art films, "Widows," tigation into gender, race the audience with them, ist in. It takes little sparks for
anticipated follow-up to with a script he penned and politics. as well as brought the so- us to keep our head above
the best-picture winning with Gillian Flynn ("Gone McQUEEN: It's a roller phistication. They catered water.
"12 Years a Slave." While it Girl'), is an unexpected coaster ride but it brings to the high and to the low. AP: Would you have want-
preserves much of the origi- turn into genre filmmaking. to the surface things that I don't think there's any high ed your next film after "12
nal series, it also greatly ex- Before the film, which 20th are very much there. It's and low. I think there are Years a Slave" to come
pands its scope, transports Century Fox will release what we know. When you just good movies and bad sooner than five years lat-
the story to Chicago and Nov. 16, made its premiere think of the '70s, you think movies, and that's it. er?
richly populates its urban at the Toronto Internation- of "Chinatown" and "The AP: How did you choose McQUEEN: You mustn't for-
landscape with a sterling al Film Festival, McQueen Godfather" — I'm not com- the setting? get, I did three films in five
cast of Viola Davis, Colin spoke about the ambitions paring my picture to those McQUEEN: I wanted to years. q

Czech 'ghost church' gets new life from tourism

By ADAM PEMBLE Mind." ghoulish guests.
PETR JOSEK Word got out about the But "it's also true . we had
Associated Press "ghost church" of the Czech two or three visitors that
LUKOVA, Czech Repub- Republic and in 2013 a vid- refused to enter," he said.
lic (AP) — A 14th-century eographer published a styl- "They peeked through the
church in the Czech Re- ized YouTube video featur- door, but didn't enter be-
public that was once in ru- ing creepy music and mov- cause they didn't feel well
ins is getting a new life from ie effects. It was a hit and about it."
tourists who want to see the has almost 200,000 views. The church fell into disre-
eerie visitors from beyond Curiosity about the installa- pair after World War II when
the grave. tion has been building, and the ethnic German parish-
In 2012, art student Jakub there is now a website and ioners were expelled by the
Hadrava used St. George's mentions on travel web- Czechs. The church kept In this picture taken on Thursday, Aug. 30, 2018, French tourists
visit the church of Saint George in the village of Lukova, Czech
Church in the village of Lu- sites. The church is open deteriorating through the Republic.
kova as his canvas for his to the public on Saturday late 1960s and was aban- Associated Press
senior arts thesis. He filled afternoons, when around doned after pieces of the
the Catholic church's pews 150 people come to the ceiling began to fall during koruna ($23,300) in dona- April at the ghost church
with ghostly figures, made "ghosts." a funeral. tions that the spooky spec- to celebrate St. George's
from plaster casts of live Petr Koukl, caretaker of The church, about 200 kilo- ters have brought in by Day. Pictures online show
models draped in white the ghost church, says that meters (125 miles) east of visitors eager to take selfies the pews are packed on
cloth. The effect is chilling. most people have a posi- Prague, got a new roof in and shoot video with them. that day with both the liv-
He called the work "My tive reaction to the church's 2017 mainly from 600,000 A Mass is held annually in ing and the "dead."q