Giving Voice to the Korean American Community
The documentary film Crossings will have a San Francisco premiere at the film festival CAAMFest 2023 on May 13, 5:30 p.m. at The Great Star Theater, located in Chinatown.
Crossings, by award-winning documentary filmmaker Deann Borshay Liem, describes the journey of Women Cross DMZ, a group of international women peacemakers who crossed the demilitarized zone (DMZ) between the two Koreas in May 2015 as an act of defiant peacemaking. The film also details the goals of the international movement to formally end the Korean War that preceded and followed this event.
Liem’s films (including a documentary film on the history of Korean adoption Geographies of Kinship) cover many aspects of Korean history and the relationship between the two Koreas, and of Korean Americans with their country of origin.
The story of Women Cross DMZ is punctuated by newsreels and historic accounts of the treacherous roller-coaster ride of U.S.-North Korean relations over the last 70 years since the Korean War was ended with an armistice. The film describes how the women peacemakers, including renowned activists Christine Ahn and Gloria Steinem, tackle political hurdles, bureaucracy and widespread controversy to forge a path towards solidarity and peace.
Filmmaker Deann Borshay Liem and activist Christine Ahn are expected to attend for a post-screening Q and A. CAAMFest, sponsored by the Center for Asian American Media, is one of the nation’s largest and enduring showcases for Asian and Asian American films. Tickets are $15 ($13 senior) and available at the link.