Intertwining two nail-biting stories of dangerous escape attempts from North Korea, BEYOND UTOPIA shows us the reality of life in one of the most repressive totalitarian countries on Earth. Filmmaker Madeleine Gavin takes us on a harrowing journey, crosscutting between jaw-dropping cellphone video, and anguished cellphone audio, as she examines the high-stakes operation of an underground network that is the only hope of Koreans desperate to escape persecution and reunite with family. – Jaie Laplante