{"id":18393,"date":"2019-04-17T14:04:38","date_gmt":"2019-04-17T22:04:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.pbs.org\/independentlens\/?post_type=blog&p=18393"},"modified":"2023-09-19T13:25:26","modified_gmt":"2023-09-19T20:25:26","slug":"filmmaker-spotlights-unsung-neighbors-lifting-up-baltimore","status":"publish","type":"blog","link":"https:\/\/dipsy.pbs.org\/independentlens\/blog\/filmmaker-spotlights-unsung-neighbors-lifting-up-baltimore\/","title":{"rendered":"Filmmaker Spotlights Unsung Neighbors Lifting Up Baltimore"},"content":{"rendered":"

Marilyn Ness<\/strong> is a two-time Emmy, Peabody, and DuPont Award-winning filmmaker, who has produced films like the acclaimed Cameraperson<\/em> (dir. Kirsten Johnson), which was released by the Criterion Collection and shortlisted for an Oscar;\u00a0Trapped<\/em> (dir. Dawn Porter; Independent Lens<\/em>), which won a Peabody; and the Independent Lens<\/em> film 1971<\/em><\/a>, which was nominated for an Emmy. But she’s also made an impact behind the lens as as director, including\u00a0with the PBS film Bad Blood: A Cautionary Tale,\u00a0<\/em>and now with\u00a0Charm City<\/a>, <\/em>an intimate portrait\u00a0of a diverse group of neighbors, including\u00a0police, citizens, community leaders, and government officials who, with grit and compassion,\u00a0survive in and work to improve their vibrant neighborhoods during a violent three-year stretch in Baltimore.<\/p>\n

“Ness’ careful quilting of compassion and action across her years of filming suggests a fight that won’t diminish for these citizens,” wrote Robert Abele in the Los Angeles Times<\/em>. “The film captures up close the way violence transforms neighborhoods and families with an immediacy that transcends headlines or sensationalism,” adds Ben Kenigsberg in The New York Times<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Ness took a time-out to talk to us about the unusual way she approached making Charm City<\/em>, how she got this disparate group of people to trust her, updates on how they’re all doing, and what lessons every community–not just Baltimore–can take from the film after people watch it.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Why did you make this film? <\/b><\/p>\n

Like a lot of verit\u00e9 films, we couldn\u2019t have known what was coming as we started filming. What began as a search to better understand the divide between police and citizens landed us in Baltimore during the three most violent years in the city\u2019s history. \u00a0We found ourselves with a constellation of characters \u2014 from police officers to community members to politicians \u2014 all tasked, in some way, with standing in the maelstrom. Instead of looking at the growing problem of violence in our cities through the castigating lens of the nightly news, we decided to do something radical. We looked at each of our characters and their daily struggles with deep empathy. The result, for me, was profound.<\/span><\/p>\n

The stark reality is that the criminal justice system in this country isn\u2019t working for anyone: not the citizens it intends to serve and not the police officers working within it. The failure of that system has bred distrust, a widening gulf of inequality, and ultimately, higher incidences of violence. We are seeing this in cities across America including Baltimore, Chicago, and St. Louis as homicides and gun violence climb at a shocking pace. <\/span><\/p>\n

Unless we tackle the complexity of these questions from the point of view of those caught in the system, we will never get to the heart of what spurs distrust and consequently, violence and collective trauma in our cities. <\/span><\/p>\n

In this post-2016-election world where the echo chambers drown out productive conversations, Charm City<\/em> dares to wade into the most challenging questions facing police, citizens, and the leaders tasked with protecting them. \u00a0Though they are all ostensibly working toward the same goals, we untangle why they are seemingly, eternally, at odds with one another. Our intention is to build empathy where currently there is opposition, in order to open a long-needed national conversation where everyone can feel safe enough to participate.<\/span><\/p>\n

How did you first get connected to Mr. C and what made you think he’d be a good “character” for your film?<\/b><\/p>\n

One of my first research trips to Baltimore was a driving tour with the former Health Commissioner of Baltimore. (You start wherever you can when digging in on a new film and that introduction came early on.) When I asked former Commissioner Bielenson how I might find \u201cthe policed,\u201d he said there used to be a community organization called Rose Street with a guy named Mr. C who made quite an impression on him. <\/span><\/p>\n

Before I ever got to Rose Street I learned that when Mr. C and a colleague first set up shop on E. Rose & Ashland Ave the local gangs firebombed their community center. Mr. C pitched a tent and camped out for months while they rebuilt the center. <\/span><\/p>\n

As the locals realized Mr. C meant business and the business was intended to be good for them, an uneasy and then easy peace ensued. With a story like that, how can you NOT go check it out?<\/span><\/p>\n

Eventually, our local co-producer, Meryam Bouadjemi, and I paid a visit to Mr. C after the morning meeting. We weren\u2019t sure what was up with this big group of guys milling out front but we watched Mr. C interact and we realized there was something magic there. Plus he just lights up the screen.<\/span><\/p>\n

Can you talk about the different challenges you must’ve faced? Obviously getting the trust of all these different people must have been\u00a0<\/b>a big part of even being able to make this film.<\/b><\/p>\n

Yes, one of the biggest challenges was maintaining access to the Baltimore Police Department through two different Mayors and four different police commissioners. We had to rebuild trust each time a new person came into the role.<\/span><\/p>\n

Maintaining trust with our community subjects was also a challenge as the media descended on Baltimore in the wake of Freddie Gray\u2019s death in police custody. <\/span><\/p>\n

Plus many people thought we were crazy to pursue an \u201cempathetic portrait of both sides,\u201d though now everyone agrees it fills a much-needed void in the national conversation. <\/span><\/p>\n

We visited for a long time before we brought cameras and we stayed long after the media left. None of our subjects had ever been asked to share their view of the world and they leapt at the opportunity.<\/span><\/p>\n

Is there a scene in Charm Cit<\/em>y that you especially can’t shake?<\/b><\/p>\n

I know an audience favorite is the drumming scene intercut with the everyday life of police officers. That drumline and dance troupe was so amazing and it was just a cobbled together neighborhood band. Just goes to show how much talent is hiding in plain sight in Baltimore.<\/span><\/p>\n