Dresnok spoke exclusively to the filmmakers about his childhood, his desertion, his life in a country completely foreign and quite hostile to his own, his fellow defectors, and his wife and children.[1]. Better ways than those shown in this video would combine the wisdom of the elders with the idealistic energies of youth. Not Rated. Chaoyang District, The highest compliment I can pay Crossing the Line is that it serves as a vital journal of an important time in recent North Korean affairsand that the production of this documentary would make for a highly intriguing feature film one day. Since its broadcast on the ABC some 8 years ago it is apparent that the documentary has also been very useful as an educational resource. 2021 Koryo Studio. If not this is just to pass the time. Once in the outside world, Jenkins makes some revelations that attack much of what we know about Dresnok himself, whose reaction to these new details is fascinating. However, these complaints are only worth raising because there is enough in the film that's riveting and memorable to make up for them. Documentary. Shortly this will also incorporate project-specific market and festival support provided by Screen Australia since its inception in July 2008. One of four American defectors who crossed over to the hard line communist North during the 1960s, Dresnok has lived in the North Korean capital Pyongyang ever since, and has not been seen by the outside world for 44 years. This is his story.VeryMuchSo Production and Koryo Tours in conjuction with Passion Pictures, BBC4 and ARTE. Today, just one remains. Throughout their eight-week placement in this remote Read all. The folk of Mornington Island demonstrate a warm-hearted resilience in the face of their history, but to Amy it is appalling. . Secondly. None of the men had any idea what awaited them on the other side. He has three sons from two wives. Is this your listing? Certainly it must be born of Aboriginal culture. A British documentary about US Army defector James Dresnok currently living in North Korea after having defected during the 60s. CROSSING THE LINE follows the journeys of two young medical students, Amy and Paul, who leave their safe middle class homes and university behind to be thrust into the harsh reality of everyday life on Mornington Island. With Damion Cruzz, Bruce Cumings, James Joseph Dresnok, Charles Robert Jenkins. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. This style represents a step down for Gordon, whose camera in A State of Mind was patient and unobtrusive. [2][3][4], The movie had mostly positive reception. In an ideal world where there is no Indigenous disadvantage with respect to access to health care, life expectancy, my documentary would no longer be regarded as relevant. However, it did. In 1962, a U.S. soldier sent to guard the peace in South Korea deserted his unit, walked across the most heavily fortified area on earth and defected to the Cold War enemy, the communist state of North Korea. Request an update here. Bridging the Gap in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander life expectancy remains a key issue across Australia. Think all things true crimefrom an insider's perspective. Given the emphasis on social capital, mutuality and reciprocity in Aboriginal culture, building on that may be the way forward. Like most Australians, they have never been exposed to li. These soldiers were married to women who were also of different nationalities, but how these women arrived in Pyongyang (or were made to arrive) is never clear. CROSSING THE LINE (CTLpod) is a verite' style audio documentary series telling stories from the frontlines in the fight for reproductive freedom. Change Focus Media Pty Ltd, 2005. If you would rather just drop us an email please send to Simon@koryogroup.com Films. Australia remains stuck in a trench in relation to Aboriginal health. Directed by Daniel Gordon. Unpacked 108K subscribers The UK version of the critically acclaimed documentary "Crossing The Line" - this powerful 30-minute film opens the door on anti-Israel activity at British. Going to the cinema. While The Game of Their Lives and A State of Mind were sports documentaries, Crossing the Line narrates the tale of James Joseph Dresnok, an American soldier who defected to the North in 1962 while stationed at the Demilitarized Zone on the South Korean side. Undercover, a three part documentary series, explores the human cost of the controversial New Zealand Police Undercover Programme, as told by former agents. Now, after 45 years, the story of Comrade Joe, the last American defector in North Korea, is told. contact@pulitzercenter.org, Humanizing the Hermit Kingdom: Leisure in North Korea, Stories by Campus Consortium Reporting Fellows, Deep Dives: Ocean and Fisheries Reporting, Underreported Stories in Sub-Saharan Africa, Science Misinformation: Journalism in the Age of Truth Decay, Bringing Stories Home: Local Reporting Grants, COVID-19, Vaccines, and Global Health Inequities, OPPORTUNITIES FOR CAMPUS CONSORTIUM MEMBERS, In North Korea, an International Film Festival Where Self-Reliance Is the Star, Pizzas, Pony Rides and Dolphin Shows: Balms for North Koreas Elite. Crossing The Line is the tragic yet uplifting story of athletics prodigy Danny Harris, and his battles with his demons on and off the track. Crossing the Line is the final installment in director Daniel Gordon's trilogy of films shot inside North Korea. ***This series and episode is under license from TVF. Throughout their eight-week placement in this remote See production, box office & company info, Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC). Crossing the Line tells the story of the last American defector in North Korea, James Joseph Dresnok. Orphaned at 14, Olympic hurdler at 18, crack cocaine addict at 22, world number one at 25, and finished at 30, this documentary explores the fine line between greatness and addiction. The Mt Isa supervisors, in their weekly tele-conference with Amy and Paul, perceive that Paul has crossed the line and that suicide is an issue he should not touch on. Over a fifteen-month window, the filmmakers made multiple trips to North Korea for shooting. She weeps with the people, wrestling with the meaning of her Christian faith as she listens to stories of missionaries who removed children from their families and disciplined the people. Video available from Ronin Films, phone (02) 62480851or Crossing the line should remind medical educators to harness, rather than suppress, the welling energies of youth to cross the line. Passion Pictures The film is about a former U.S. Army soldier, James J. Dresnok, who defected to North Korea on 15 August 1962. The background score is also prone to slight sensationalism, which is disappointing considering the maturity displayed in the same aspect by Gordon earlier. b. Therefore. Released in 2008, Gordon's Crossing the Line addresses the same subject from a very different point of view: that of one James Joseph Dresnok, a U.S. Army private who, while stationed in the Demilitarized Zone that separates that country from its neighbor to the south in 1962, abruptly decided to defect. Now, the American defector's astonishing story is being told for the first time in a documentary called Crossing The Line. CROSSING THE LINE follows the journeys of two young medical students, Amy and Paul, who leave their safe middle class homes and university behind to be thrust into the harsh reality of everyday life on Mornington Island. Conceptually, Crossing the Line is a huge jump from Gordon's previous North Korean works. Playing in a water park. It reminds us that there are still many stories to be told about North Korea, and that any life inside this Hermit Kingdom is not as self-contained as we might assume. Consequently, filmmakers wishing to engage with it would have to be more sophisticated in their approach too. Crossing the line is a slight (sometimes great) shock to the audience, so only use it when this is your aim. info@koryostudio.com. Crossing the Line 2006, Documentary, 1h 31m 90% Tomatometer 21 Reviews 85% Audience Score 1,000+ Ratings What to know critics consensus An engrossing look at the aftermath of largely forgotten. document.getElementById( "ak_js" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); If you would rather just drop us an email please send to Simon@koryogroup.com, If ordering please let us know the SET or PORTRAIT number and size you require, thank you. A "Girl Power" Film. Since 1993, No. "IT MAKE FOR REMARKABLE, RIVETING VIEWING AND GIVES A RARE AND UNSENTIMENTAL INSIGHT INTO ONE OF AUSTRALIA'S REMOTE INDIGENOUS COMMUNITIES. email orders@roninfilms.com.au. Dresnok remains in North Korea and lives with his family in the capital city, Pyongyang, and has not had contact with outsiders since his defection in 1962. The spent cartridges of bright ideas litter the ground. Like most Australians, they have never been exposed to life in a remote Indigenous community. They're like cats and dogs! Project-specific support provided by Screen Australia's production investment programs since the agency's inception in July 2008. Request an update here. 'Crossing the Line' follows the journeys of two young medical students, Amy and Paul, who leave their safe middle class homes and university behind to be thrust into the harsh reality of eve Read all'Crossing the Line' follows the journeys of two young medical students, Amy and Paul, who leave their safe middle class homes and university behind to be thrust into the harsh reality of everyday life on Mornington Island. What no one knew at that time, except for the filmmakers, was that a second American defector, James Joseph Dresnok, was alive. Cinequanon and Dongsoong Art Center, Executive Producers: Crew Director Kaye Harrison Writers Kaye Harrison Producer Rod Freedman Kaye Harrison North Korea: Crossing The Line. In conclusion. Similarly. Over the course of its ninety-minute runtime, Crossing the Line delves into the psyches of prisoners of war, the act of defection, and the process of assimilating into a society that prides itself on its homogeneity. We already have a niggling feeling that not everything Dresnok says is to be trustedwatch how he squirms and evades talking about the background of his first, supposedly Romanian wife inside North Koreabut the extent of how unreliable he is as a narrator is always up in the air. CROSSING THE LINE follows the journeys of two young medical students, Amy and Paul, who leave their safe middle class homes and university behind to be thrust into the harsh reality of everyday life on Mornington Island. It could simultaneously be a feature-length profile of one man, an investigation of how North Korea treated four prized defectors, and a snapshot of a feud between two men who have been through too much but tell us too little. WINNER! Like most Australians, they have never been exposed to life in a remote Indigenous community. 'Crossing the Line' follows the journeys of two young medical students, Amy and Paul, who leave their safe middle class homes and university behind to be thrust into the harsh reality of everyday life on Mornington Island. It's very gratifying to know that the film encourages discussion and debate about such complex issues, makes me feel like I've done my job! Aug. 10, 2007. Is this your listing? For instance. We hear about Dresnok's deeply scarring time in the fifties after dropping out of high school, the shock he felt in the early sixties when new to Korean society, and his health problems after the turn of the century. Until then, however, we have Gordon's engaging if overwrought effort to tide us over. Kaye Harrison wrote, directed and co-produced the video for ABC-TV, which screened it earlier this year in two parts on the Indigenous program Message stick. Crossing the Line (Korean: , A Blue-Eyed Pyongyang Citizen in North Korea) is a 2006 British documentary film by Daniel Gordon and Nicholas Bonner. [Dresnok and a friend converse while fishing]. Amy and Paul come across as delightful young people. A State of Mind was selected for competition at Tribeca Film Festival and officially selected to Pusan International Film Festival, Sheffield International Documentary Festival and to International Documentary Festival Amsterdam. This is by far the best portion of Crossing the Line, and it encapsulates how tough to categorize the film is. Dresnok seemed hurt by Jenkins' allegations of physical abuse by Dresnok and the North Korean regime and angrily denied them. Throughout their 8-week placement in this remote Indigenous community, Amy and Paul move beyond their professional roles to make personal connections with some of the locals. Only one remains in DPRK. At one time, there were four Americans living in North Korea. Captured by the North Koreans, Dresnok became the first of several American GI's to "defect" to the communist North and went on to be enormous propaganda tools to the regime of the time. Beyond straight-up murder stories, investigative journalist and host M. William Phelps . One supervisor cautions Paul against building up an expectation that youre going to make a change. She also found two young medical students prepared to participate in the film. CROSSING THE LINE is a significant film in my career as a producer. James Dresnok: The Foreign Studies Institute. Screen Australia is not responsible for and does not endorse any Third Party Sites' use, effect or content or any associated organisation, product or service on the third party site. This is the story of the last American defector in North Korea, James Joseph Dresnok. Towards the end of Crossing the Line, a North Korean doctor discloses to the BBC that Dresnok is in failing health, mainly due to heavy drinking and smoking. No one knows why they defected, until now. will be notified by email within five working days should your response be The first Western interview with Comrade Joe, James Joseph Dresnok, an American soldier who defected to North Korea in 1962 and has embraced life in the secret state ever since. Moreover the movie launched, because it is a success. A tale of struggle and success, the beauty of sport crossing cultural barriers. Crossing the Line lacks the clean through-line that A State of Mind was born with, but its sprawl is part of its appeal. Kaye Harrison wrote, directed and co-produced the video for ABC-TV, which screened it earlier this year in two parts on the Indigenous program Message stick. Crossing The Line documentary: The story of Australia v South Africa and the ball-tampering scandal Watch the show at 10pm, Thursday on Sky Sports Cricket, with contributions from Shane. 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