A documentary highlighting border issues—from Mexican freight trains and cartel tunnels to child detention camps—held its premiere in Newport Beach, California, on Oct. 8.

Investigative reporter James O'Keefe said he went behind the scenes of the “migrant industrial complex” in his film “Line in the Sand,” offering a “a raw and unfiltered look” at the U.S.-Mexico border.

“It’s reality,” O’Keefe, founder and CEO of O’Keefe Media Group, said during the premiere event at the Regal Theater. “It’s about children. It’s about the journey of the immigrants they take. It’s about at what point does being weak makes you evil. It’s about the instinct for self-preservation in contrast to being a hero.”

The film is set to be released on The Tucker Carlson Network starting Oct. 10.

O’Keefe launched his new media company last year after he was ousted from Project Veritas—the undercover journalism organization he founded in 2010—amid scrutiny over his spending habits. He has since investigated a number of controversial topics including political donation fraud allegations and a ban on public photography in Lahaina, Hawaii.

He said his film reveals “shocking truths” about the border, according to a statement obtained by The Epoch Times.

O'Keefe emphasized the raw nature of the film, with his team tracking the migrants’ journey—from riding the Mexican freight train to witnessing their border crossings. He also documented Border Patrol officers arresting cartel members, and footage captured his conversations with unaccompanied children at the border and inside detention facilities.

The film is divided into three acts, each delving into a distinct aspect of the issue: the migrant journey, the transport of unaccompanied children, and the immigration system in New York City.

According to O’Keefe, it was filmed from January to July, with nearly 1,000 hours of footage featuring multiple languages. He described the film as a portrayal of unscripted reality.

James O'Keefe attends the premiere of his film "Line in the Sand" at the Regal Theater in Newport Beach, Calif., on Oct. 8, 2024. (Brad Jones/The Epoch Times)

“The story kind of came together at the last minute in this miraculous way,” O’Keefe said. “I didn’t write it that way. I didn’t know what I was going to find. The story kind of tells itself.”

Bravery is one of the themes of the film, which O'Keefe identifies as essential in today’s society to combat injustice and corruption.

“You do meet some people in the film that are very brave, and courage is in short supply these days,” he said.