In This World

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In This World

Directed by	Michael Winterbottom
Produced by	Andrew Eaton, Anita Overland
Written by	Tony Grisoni
Starring	Jamal Udin Torabi Enayatullah
Distributed by	Sundance Channel (Region 1 DVD) BBC (UK)
Release date(s)	17 November 2002 (premiere at LFF) 28 March 2003 19 September 2003 (NYC only) 6 November 2003 27 February 2004 (limited)
Running time	88 min.
Language	Persian Pashtu
IMDb profile

In This World is a 2002 British docudrama directed by Michael Winterbottom. The film follows two young Afghan men, Jamal Udin Torabi and Enayatullah, as they leave a refugee camp in Pakistan for a better life in England. Since their journey is illegal, it is fraught with danger, and they must use back-channels, bribes, and smugglers to achieve their goal.

1 Style
2 Distribution
3 Aftermath
4 External links

[edit] Style

The film creates the illusion of being a documentary, but it is in fact a drama that incorporates several improvised and covertly filmed scenes. Only a few of the actors (including the two leads) were professionals; most people played fictionalised versions of themselves. Some of the scenes can be regarded as documentary because of the secretive nature of the filmmaking. In areas rife with illegal activity, Winterbottom used guerilla filmmaking techniques to capture the necessary footage, so that some of the people who appear are unaware they were being filmed. Much of the dialogue in these scenes was improvised, and they expose some of the underground, back-room dealing that takes place in immigrant smuggling. The production team lied to authorities in several countries in order to secure filming rights, having met government resistance in Iran and Pakistan.

Dialogue is spoken in the language of the subjects of the film (Persian and Pashtu).

[edit] Distribution

The film was released in the UK in March, 2003 by the BBC after festival screenings in 2002. It was released in the United States in a limited number of cities in September, 2003 by Lions Gate as part of the short-lived Sundance Film Series partnership experiment with Loews Cineplex Entertainment. The film did not make much money, but was highly regarded by the critics that were able to see it.^{[citation needed]}

[edit] Aftermath

In a case of life imitating art, after returning to Pakistan, Jamal Udin Torabi made the journey to London for real and applied for asylum. He is now living with a family in South East London, although he is will be forced to leave the UK after his 18th birthday.

[edit] External links

In This World at the Internet Movie Database

Preceded by Spirited Away tied with Bloody Sunday	Golden Bear winner 2003	Succeeded by Head-On
Preceded by Talk to Her	BAFTA Award for Best Film Not in the English Language 2003	Succeeded by The Motorcycle Diaries