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Cast of "Detroit" hopes new film sparks conversations about race relations

Stateside host Cynthia Canty spoke with various contributors to the Detroit film at its world premiere on Tuesday night.

Director Kathryn Bigelow's new film Detroitdepicts one of the most horrific events of the 1967 rebellion: a night of terror at the Algiers Motel, a night that left three young black men dead at the hands of white police officers.

The Fox Theatre's marquee at the "Detroit" premiere Tuesday night.
Credit Cynthia Canty / Michigan Radio
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Michigan Radio
The Fox Theatre's marquee at the "Detroit" premiere Tuesday night.

Detroit had its world premiere this week at the Fox Theatre, just blocks away from where buildings burned, bullets flew, and 43 people died.

The gravity of what happened 50 years ago this week was very much on the minds of Detroit's cast and crew, along with hopes for the kinds of conversations and thoughts the film might inspire.

“I’ve been doing this for probably close to 30 years, and this was the most emotional experience I’ve ever had cutting a film," said Oscar-winning editor William Goldenberg. "I mean the story is so tragic. And you feel so much for the characters.”

He hopes the film will spark conversations about "police violence and criminality, and treating police criminality the same as any form of criminality."

Listen above to hear from actors Chris Chalk, Laz Alonso, Algee Smith, Hannah Murray, Will Poulter, and Ben O’Toole. 

Detroit opens in Detroit on Friday. The movie opens nationwide on Aug. 4.

From July 17-28, Michigan Radio is looking back at Detroit in 1967, theSummer of Rebellion. We’ll explore the issues that led to one of the deadliest civil disturbances in American history, and examine why it still resonates in the city today.(Subscribe to the Stateside podcast oniTunes,Google Play, or with thisRSS link)

 

Copyright 2021 Michigan Radio. To see more, visit Michigan Radio.

Actor Chris Chalk plays Detroit police officer Frank.
Cynthia Canty / Michigan Radio
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Michigan Radio
Actor Chris Chalk plays Detroit police officer Frank.
Laz Alonso plays Congressman John Conyers.
Cynthia Canty / Michigan Radio
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Michigan Radio
Laz Alonso plays Congressman John Conyers.
Will Poulter (left) plays DPD Officer Knauss; Kathryn Bigelow (right) is the film's director
Cynthia Canty / Michigan Radio
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Michigan Radio
Will Poulter (left) plays DPD Officer Knauss; Kathryn Bigelow (right) is the film's director
Ben O'Toole plays Detroit Police Department Officer Flynn.
Cynthia Canty / Michigan Radio
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Michigan Radio
Ben O'Toole plays Detroit Police Department Officer Flynn.
The red carpet at the "Detroit" premiere on Tuesday night.
Cynthia Canty / Michigan Radio
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Michigan Radio
The red carpet at the "Detroit" premiere on Tuesday night.
And it begins...
Cynthia Canty / Michigan Radio
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Michigan Radio
And it begins...

Cynthia Canty was the host of Stateside since the weekday show began in 2012. She retired in December 2019.