| The Defector: Escape from North Korea wins Diversity Award By Staff |
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| (January 28, 2014 – Toronto, Ontario) The Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television has announced that the Canadian documentary, The Defector: Escape from North Korea has been given the 2014 Diversity Award. ““The Academy is pleased to present Ann Shin with the Diversity Award for her documentary” said Helga Stephenson, Academy CEO. Calling the film “searing and powerful” Stephenson`s added that the documentary portrays the “political instability in a part of the world so hidden from the public eye.” | |||
In accepting the award, writer, producer and director Ann Shin said, ““This was a difficult story to tell and we needed a diverse, resourceful team to pull it off. Between the film and interactive teams, we had people of Chinese, Korean,  German, Philippine, British, Jamaican, Iranian, Pakistani backgrounds — more than 15 different cultural backgrounds I think — which says a lot about the Canadian media industry today. It`s great getting recognition for the talented team that came together to make The Defector.”
The Defector: Escape from North Korea tells the story of Dragon, a human smuggler who leads North Korean defectors across borders for a living. His latest undercover trip with Sook-Ja and Yong-hee takes an unexpected turn when they are left stranded in China, which throws their dramatic escape plan into chaos. Ann has produced and directed programs for multiple Canadian networks such as TVO and CBC, among others. She is also known for her work on lifestyle shows for HGTV, W Network and Food Network. In addition to winning the Diversity Award, Ann Shin and The Defector: Escape from North Korea have also been nominated for two Canadian Screen Awards – Best Direction in a Documentary Program and Best Documentary Program. It had received numerous other award nominations, winning the Canadian Digi Awards and an FITC award. The Defector: Escape from North Korea has screened at festivals around the world, including the International Documentary Festival of Amsterdam, Thessaloniki International Documentary Festival, Hot Docs, Sheffield Documentary Film Festival and the Ottawa One World Film Festival. The Academy’s Diversity Award honours excellence and the racial and cultural diversity of Canada. The Canadian Screen Awards are part of Canadian Screen Week (March 3-9, 2014) and the 2-Hour Live Broadcast Gala will air Sunday March 9, 2014 @ 8pm on CBC. |
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