Across the Line (2015 film)
| Across the Line | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Director X |
| Produced by | Floyd Kane |
| Written by | Floyd Kane |
| Starring |
Stephan James Sarah Jeffery Shamier Anderson Lanette Ware Steven Love Jim Codrington |
Release dates |
|
Running time | 97 minutes[1] |
| Country | Canada |
| Language | English |
Across the Line is a 2015 Canadian drama film directed by Director X. It was set and shot in Nova Scotia.
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.[2]
The film's storyline was inspired by the 1989 Cole Harbour District High School race riots.[3]
Cast
- Stephan James as Mattie Slaughter
- Sarah Jeffery as Jayme Crawley
- Shamier Anderson as Carter Slaughter
- Lanette Ware as Velma
- Steven Love as John
- Jim Codrington as Fraser Crawley
Production
The film was originally titled Undone.[4] The film was written and produced by Floyd Kane, a native of East Preston, NS. Kane attended Cole Harbour High school when the school had its race riot in 1989.
Release
The first screening of Across the Line was 19 September 2015 at the Atlantic Film Festival where it won the award for Best Atlantic Feature.[5][3]
The film opened for limited in British Columbia and Ontario on 8 April 2016, with screenings in various Canadian cities throughout that month.[6]
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]
References
- 1 2 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.
- ↑ Brownridge, William (1 April 2016). "Canadian Film Fest 2016 Review: Across the Line". Toronto Film Scene. Retrieved 13 April 2016.
- 1 2 Barnard, Elissa (18 September 2015). "Atlantic filmfest: Undone finds hope amid racial tension". Chronicle Herald. Retrieved 13 April 2016.
- ↑ Doucet, Jane (23 November 2015). "Alumni Spotlight - A creative lawyer: Floyd Kane (LLB'96)". Dalhousie University. Retrieved 13 April 2016.
- ↑ Nemetz, Andrea (20 September 2015). "Undone wins best Atlantic feature at Atlantic Film Festival Awards". Chronicle Herald. Retrieved 13 April 2016.
- ↑ 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.