"Crossing" Screens at US Library of Congress

Upcoming South Korean feature "Crossing", a harrowing tale about a North Korean family's desperate struggle to survive, screened at the Library of Congress in Washington D.C. last week. Those in attendance included House International Relations Committee specialists Dennis Halpin and Doug Anderson, Peter Beck, executive director of the US Committee for Human Rights in North Korea, Kim Sung-min, a former N.K. refugee and close to 100 foreign journalists.

Halpin, a Republican, called the film a "masterpiece" in its portrayal of human suffering under dictatorship, putting it on par with the "Diary of Anne Frank". Beck called "Crossing" the best film ever made on the subject of North Korean defectors. Several in the audience reportedly broke into tears as they watched the family's sad plight.

Based on the real-life accounts of numerous North Korean refugees, the film centers on a family of three, the husband, Yong-soo, his wife, and their 11-year-old son. When Yong-soo's wife becomes seriously ill, he travels across the border into China in search of medicine but is ultimately forced to become a refugee in South Korea. Meanwhile, his ailing wife weakens through malnutrition and his son, desperate, decides to cross the desert in search of father.

The film is directed by Kim Tae-gyoon, whose previous features include "Volcano High" (2001) and "A Millionaire's First Love" (2006). It stars Cha In-pyo ("Hanbando") and Sin Myeong-cheol. Produced by production house Camp B, the film is slated for local release on June 5 through distributor Vantage Holdings. Fine Cut is handling international sales.

Nigel D'Sa (KOFIC)