“School for Defectors” makes its world premiere as a portrait of the fight for unity across Korea
Jack Andersen, Joint-Visuals Director
March 6, 2026
“Where do you imagine yourself in 10 years?”
The teenagers in Jeremy Workman’s latest documentary, “School for Defectors,” grapple with this question through the experiences that set them apart: They’re North Korean defectors coming-of-age while rebuilding their lives.
In the context of the film, “defecting” refers to leaving North Korea without government permission to seek safety and freedom elsewhere, most often in South Korea. This act, and the label that comes with it, carries heavy meaning throughout the region and the film.
In South Korean society, the word “defector” often holds a negative connotation, reflecting lingering prejudice toward those who fled the north. To the 20 students featured in “School for Defectors,” the school serves as a haven from isolation once they’re accepted.
The film subtly contrasts this stigma with a broader political reality. The families portrayed in this film risked their lives to protect their children’s futures. One student in the film recounts taking a sleeping pill and fleeing, hidden in her uncle’s backpack for her own safety. This peril is necessary to escape North Korea’s oppressive dictatorship.
Workman’s documentary brings audiences a patient, observational approach to the dense subject. The parallel between fear and joy becomes apparent about halfway through the film due to its poignant and impactful pacing.
Shrieks of excitement permeated the theatre as an alumna of Jangdaehyun School returned to visit the current students. The camera follows her as children spill out of their classrooms to greet her in a warm embrace. At this moment, the film’s core comes into focus as the powerful sense of human connection cuts through the scene.
“We didn’t want to do that thing where we chose, like, ‘Oh these are the three people that we would focus on,’” Workman explained in the post-film Q&A at the world premiere Thursday night.
“That was kind of our philosophy, that this was gonna be somehow a story of all 20 students,” he later continued.
In resisting a documentary hero, “School for Defectors” presents the school and students as a collective. By moving between classrooms and conversations, Workman avoids sensationalizing these stories of defection. The film was pure and beautiful, shifting the narrative toward the broader, sharper reality facing North Korean defectors.
“For these kids, I think the first step for them is really imagining a future for them, imagining their own identity,” Workman said.
For students who have already crossed borders and cultures, this is both simple and profound. The possibility of being defined by more than prior circumstances brings forth the value of unity. In the voices of its students and teachers, “School for Defectors” shows that a globalized education can be more than a pathway to a career; it can become a foundation for belonging, healing and hope for future generations.
You can keep up with The Maneater’s 2026 True/False Film Fest coverage here.