BEYOND UTOPIA

USA
2023

Director: Madeleine Gavin

Language: Korean, English

Hidden camera footage augments this perilous, high-stakes journey as we embed with families attempting to escape oppression in North Korea. At the film’s core are a mother desperate to reunite with the child she was forced to leave behind; a family embarking on a treacherous journey across the Yalu River and into the hostile mountains of China; and a man of God on a mission to help these desperate souls. Gripping, visceral, and urgent, Madeleine Gavin’s film embeds the viewer with these family members as they attempt their perilous escape, palpably conveying life-or-death stakes. The result is a singular, illuminating, and unforgettable experience.

Screenings

23 July | 15:00 | Suncoast 8
25 July | 19:15 | Suncoast 7
TRAILER COMING SOON

Credits

Director

Madeleine Gavin

Producer

Jana Edelbaum, Rachel Cohen, Sue Mi Terry

Screenplay

-

Cinematography

Hyun Seok Kim

Cast

-

Runtime

115 min

Madeleine Gavin

Madeleine Gavin has edited award-winning narrative and documentary films that premiered at Sundance, Toronto, Berlinale, and Cannes, among others. She directed and edited the Netflix documentary CITY OF JOY, about a revolutionary centre in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. Gavin teaches in the film school at Columbia University School of the Arts and is a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
DIFF 2023

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