The Defector: Escape From North Korea

Dragon smuggles North Korean defectors across borders for a living, but his latest undercover trip with Sook-Ja and Yong-hee takes an unexpected turn. He abandons them in China, halfway through the journey, putting their dramatic escape plan into question. Their perilous journey reflects the reality of tens of thousands of North Koreans currently in hiding in China, and the human smugglers who risk their own freedom and their lives. Filmed undercover by a Korean-Canadian filmmaker, Ann Shin gets intimate access with these three individuals in this POV film that explores universal questions about human rights, smuggling and the pursuit of freedom.

• documentary