In This World

Colour, 35 mm
United Kingdom, 2002, 90 min
Section: Horizons - Awarded films

Synopsis

Michael Winterbottom, the director of 24 Hour Party People (screened last year at Karlovy Vary), chose a completely different theme for his new film, although its form remains the same. Here, too, he masterfully blurs the border between feature and documentary. Young Afghanis Jamal and Enayatullah are cousins living in the Pakistani city of Peshawar, located on the border with Afghanistan. Jamal is an orphan working at a brick factory and living in a refugee camp. Enayatullah’s family decide to send him to England to find a better future. Jamal convinces them to let him go with his cousin and, because it’s cheaper, they decide to travel overland. The story follows their hardships step by step and the risks they undergo to reach the English border. The film is a kind of extract of the experiences which multitudes of brave and inventive refugees experience on a daily basis while seeking a better life. Unfortunately, however, their trials very often end in tragedy. The film was awarded the Golden Bear at this year’s Berlinale.

About the director

Michael Winterbottom (b. 1961) first graduated in English from Oxford University and then in film in Bristol and London. He began in the movie industry as an editor for Thames Television, then shot two documentaries about Ingmar Bergman. He met up with screenwriter Frank Cottrell Boyce while working on various television programmes for kids, and the pair were nominated for a BAFTA Award for Strangers. He made a solid name for himself in television with series such as Cracker and The Inspector Alleyn Mysteries. His television career peaked with the four-hour BBC series Family. Winterbottom’s feature debut was the thriller Butterfly Kiss (1995). Other films: Go Now (1995), Jude (1996), Welcome to Sarajevo (1997), I Want You (1998), Wonderland (1999), The Claim (2000) and 24 Hour Party People (2002), screened last year at Karlovy Vary.