Across the Line (2015 film)

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.

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

Background

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

Plot

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

Production

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

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

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
  1. 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. 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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