The Crossing

<img src="https://data.ajff.org/sites/default/files/2022-01/web_embed_Laurel_JuryInCompetition_02.png" style="max-width: 20%; width: 20%; border-width: 0px; margin-left: 10px; float: right;" />Influenced by the exodus of the filmmaker’s own Russian-Jewish family, this beautifully animated refugee tale charts the perilous journey of young siblings seeking solace in a war-torn land. Under threat of a repressive government and ethnic cleansing, a small village is raided by militias. Fleeing persecution, young Kyona and her brother Adriel get separated from their parents, their pursuit of freedom and a better future taking them from adolescence to adulthood. Set in an unnamed time and place, director Florence Miailhe uses this allegorical construct to bridge the migrant crises of today with the persecution faced by her forebears. A visual wonder, this fairytale-like parable is the first-ever animated feature to employ hand-painted oil on glass.