Sonja's Open Road
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Sonja DeVries Highlight (1:38)
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Interview (3:01)
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Stop Comparing Myself (1:01)
Interview Excerpt
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INTERVIEWED BY:
Team UK
SONJA DEVRIES
Filmmaker/Activist
Gay Cuba
“I'm gonna do my work, and I'm gonna try to learn from other people's work, but I'm not going to compare the two. We each have what we bring to our work, and it's always unique.”
INTERESTS:
THEMES DISCUSSED:
FOUNDATION:
BIOGRAPHY:
- She was working as a freelance journalist, producing articles about Cuba.
- An NGO approached her and asked if she'd like to help them make a documentary about Cuba.
- She said, "I don't know anything about filmmaking," they replied, "Neither do we," and somehow, the film got made.
- Says that once she dove in, filmmaking clicked almost immediately.
- She'd always seen filmmaking as a skill she'd up on a pedestal, but once she tried it, she realized she could totally make it her career.
- Talking to her documentary subjects intimidated her at first because she hadn't had any schooling in film, didn't feel like she was good enough.
- But eventually, she found confidence in herself and in the project, and that was a major turning point.
- Says another huge revelation was when she taught herself to learn from other filmmakers, rather than compare her work with theirs.