Crossing the Line

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WINNER! BEST DOCUMENTARY - Social and Political Issue - 2005 ATOM Awards (Australian Teachers of Media).

Produced by Rod Freedman, Kaye Harrison - Change Focus Media.

When two young, non-indigenous medical students go to work in a remote Aboriginal community, their professional precepts and personal ideas are deeply challenged.

CROSSING THE LINE follows the journeys of two young medical students, Amy and Paul, who leave their safe middle class homes and university behind to be thrust into the harsh reality of everyday life on Mornington Island. Like most Australians, they have never been exposed to life in a remote indigenous community.

Throughout their 8-week placement in this remote indigenous community, Amy and Paul move beyond their professional roles to make personal connections with some of the locals. There is an ongoing tension between their personal experience with the community and the professional distance they are told they need to maintain in order to practice professionally. This film offers a rare insight into the practical realities of providing Western medical services to indigenous communities and illustrates ways in which engagement can contribute to an improvement in the crisis in Aboriginal health today.