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Across the Line (2015 film)

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Across the Line
Film poster
Directed byDirector X
Written byFloyd Kane
Produced by
  • Elizabeth Guilford
  • Floyd Kane
  • Michael Donovan
  • Mark Gosine
  • Amos Adetuyi
Starring
CinematographySami Inayeh
Edited byDev Singh
Music byMenalon
Production
companies
Freddie Films
Circle Blue Media
DHX Media
Distributed byA71 Pictures
Entertainment One
Release date
  • September 19, 2015 (2015-09-19) (Atlantic)
Running time
97 minutes[1]
CountryCanada
LanguageEnglish

Across the Line is a 2015 Canadian drama film directed by Director X (in his feature film directorial debut). The film stars Stephan James and Sarah Jeffery. It is set in Nova Scotia, where it was shot.

Background

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The film's storyline was inspired by the 1989 Cole Harbour District High School race riots.[2]

Plot

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The film is set in North Preston, Nova Scotia where Mattie (Stephan James), a black hockey player, is being considered for a professional career. However, his hopes are threatened by growing racial strife at his school while his brother Carter (Shamier Anderson) is involved in criminal activity. Mattie also has a romantic interest in Jayme (Sarah Jeffery), who already has a white boyfriend.

Cast

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Production

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The film was originally titled Undone.[3] The film was produced by Floyd Kane, Michael Donovan, Mark Gosine and Amos Adetuyi and was written by Kane, a native of East Preston, NS. Kane attended Cole Harbour High School when a race riot erupted at the school in 1989.

Release

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The first screening of Across the Line was September 19, 2015 at the Atlantic Film Festival where it won the award for Best Atlantic Feature.[4][2] The film opened in limited release in British Columbia and Ontario on April 8, 2016, with screenings in various Canadian cities throughout that month.[5]

Reception

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The National Post assessed the film at 2.5/4 stars, noting the story's unwavering focus on racial themes was "to the detriment of the film's depth and realism" but noted that video producer Director X "makes the transition to feature film-making look easy".[1]

In 2017, the film was the subject of an episode of The Filmmakers, the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation's web talk series on Canadian film.[6]

References

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  1. ^ a b Knight, Chris (8 April 2016). "Across the Line is imperfect, but passionate in its drive to examine racial friction in Nova Scotia". National Post. Retrieved 13 April 2016.
  2. ^ a b Barnard, Elissa (18 September 2015). "Atlantic filmfest: Undone finds hope amid racial tension". Chronicle Herald. Retrieved 13 April 2016.
  3. ^ Doucet, Jane (23 November 2015). "Alumni Spotlight - A creative lawyer: Floyd Kane (LLB'96)". Dalhousie University. Retrieved 13 April 2016.
  4. ^ Nemetz, Andrea (20 September 2015). "Undone wins best Atlantic feature at Atlantic Film Festival Awards". Chronicle Herald. Retrieved 13 April 2016.
  5. ^ The Canadian Press (6 April 2016). "Director X makes film debut with drama inspired by N.S. racial tensions in 1989". Chronicle Herald. Retrieved 13 April 2016.
  6. ^ "Racism, sports and the East Coast: Director X's film exposes something 'dangerous and problematic'". CBC Arts, October 2, 2017.
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