Big Sonia screened at STA

The movie “Big Sonia” was shown at STA Monday, Oct. 9.

Anna Louise Sih

Big Sonia director Leah Warshawski answers questions from STA students during a panel held after the screening of Big Sonia Oct. 9. Big Sonia is a documentary about Julia’s mother Sonia Warshawski, one of the last Holocaust survivors in the Kansas City area. photo by Anna Louise Sih

by Reagan Penn, Writer

Big Sonia, a documentary on Holocaust survivor Sonia Warshawski was screened at STA Monday, Oct. 9. The documentary focused on Sonia’s life in Kansas City while also recounting Sonia’s experience surviving the Holocaust along with stories from Sonia’s children and grandchildren.

Following the documentary, there was a Q&A with Sonia’s granddaughter, producer of the documentary, Leah Warshawski, film co-director Todd Soliday, social studies teacher Mike Egner and production assistant and STA alumna Julia Barnett.

To complete the showing of Big Sonia, students were sent back to their advisories to discuss the documentary.

Sophomore Cecelia Klem said she really enjoyed the film and was surprised to learn Sonia is one of the only remaining Holocaust survivors in Kansas City.

“I really like Sonia,” Klem said. “She seems like a really funny and sweet lady. The film was inspiring because it showed how talking about the Holocaust is important because it makes people aware of what happened in our world’s history.”