''Sex Traffic'' is a two-part British-Canadian television

thriller Thriller may refer to: * Thriller (genre), a broad genre of literature, film and television ** Thriller film, a film genre under the general thriller genre Comics * ''Thriller'' (DC Comics), a comic book series published 1983–84 by DC Comics i ...

, written by

Abi Morgan Abigail Louise Morgan (born 1968) is a Welsh playwright and screenwriter known for her works for television, such as ''Sex Traffic'' and '' The Hour'', and the films ''Brick Lane'', '' The Iron Lady'', '' Shame'' and '' Suffragette''. Early l ...

and directed by

David Yates David Yates (born 8 October 1963) is an English film director, producer and screenwriter, who has directed feature films, short films, and television productions. He is best known for directing the final four films in the ''Harry Potter'' ser ...

, that first broadcast on

Channel 4 Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network operated by the state-owned Channel Four Television Corporation. It began its transmission on 2 November 1982 and was established to provide a fourth television service ...

on 14 October 2004. The series, produced by Veronica Castillo and Derek Wax, stars John Simm as Daniel Appleton, a journalist who uncovers a trafficking ring involving Anti-Trafficking officers employed by a private security company in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...

. As Daniel vows to help Elena ( Anamaria Marinca), one of the trafficked girls, he attempts to expose the business which forces young women from

Eastern Europe Eastern Europe is a subregion of the European continent. As a largely ambiguous term, it has a wide range of geopolitical, geographical, ethnic, cultural, and socio-economic connotations. The vast majority of the region is covered by Russia, whi ...

into a life of sexual slavery. The series was filmed between

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

Bucharest Bucharest ( , ; ro, București ) is the capital and largest city of Romania, as well as its cultural, industrial, and financial centre. It is located in the southeast of the country, on the banks of the Dâmbovița River, less than north o ...

and

Nova Scotia Nova Scotia ( ; ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is one of the three Maritime provinces and one of the four Atlantic provinces. Nova Scotia is Latin for "New Scotland". Most of the population are native Eng ...

. The series was also broadcast on CBC in

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by to ...

during October 2004. Notably, despite winning the BAFTA award for Best Actress, ''Sex Traffic'' was actress Anamaria Marinca's first credited television role. Overall, the series won a total of eight

BAFTAs The British Academy Film Awards, more commonly known as the BAFTA Film Awards is an annual award show hosted by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) to honour the best British and international contributions to film. The cer ...

, including Best Drama Serial, and four

Gemini Awards The Gemini Awards were awards given by the Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television between 1986–2011 to recognize the achievements of Canada's television industry. The Gemini Awards are analogous to the Emmy Awards given in the United States ...

. The series was released on DVD on September 4, 2006.

Plot

The expulsion of Sergeant Callum Tate (

Luke Kirby Luke Farrell Kirby (born June 29, 1978) is a Canadian actor. In 2019, he won a Primetime Emmy Award for his guest role as Lenny Bruce on the television series ''The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel''. Early life Kirby was born in Hamilton, Ontario, to Am ...

), an Anti-Trafficking officer working in

Bosnia Bosnia and Herzegovina ( sh, / , ), abbreviated BiH () or B&H, sometimes called Bosnia–Herzegovina and Pars pro toto#Geography, often known informally as Bosnia, is a country at the crossroads of Southern Europe, south and southeast Euro ...

, sparks concern for multi-national private security company Kernwell, headed up by Tom Harlsburgh ( Chris Potter). Having been caught seemingly trying to procure a prostitute for $2,000, Tate's actions have threatened to throw the entire company into disrepute, just as the directors are on the brink of signing an $8 million contract to provide private security in

Iraq Iraq,; ku, عێراق, translit=Êraq officially the Republic of Iraq, '; ku, کۆماری عێراق, translit=Komarî Êraq is a country in Western Asia. It is bordered by Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq ...

. Tate denies the allegations, claiming that he was trying to free Anya Petria (Alexandra Fasola), a student who had been trafficked from

Romania Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern, and Southeast Europe, Southeastern Europe. It borders Bulgaria to the south, Ukraine to the north, Hungary to the west, S ...

and forced to work as a prostitute. Tate claims that a number of Kernwell officers, including Major James Brooke (

Robert Joy Robert Joy (born August 17, 1951) is a Canadian actor. He is best known for his role as medical examiner Sid Hammerback on the police procedural series ''CSI: NY'', and his appearances in the films ''Atlantic City'' (1980), ''Ragtime'' (1981), '' ...

) are involved in a trafficking ring involving the enslavement of young women seeking refuge from their own countries in the hope of finding a better life in the West. Kernwell order a press blackout, preventing Tate's suspension or any of the allegations made reaching the press. Meanwhile, Daniel Appleton ( John Simm), a journalist working for London-based charity Speak For Freedom, travels to

to report on Kernwell's activities, and whilst there, he witnesses a number of Anti-Trafficking officers having sex with prostitutes at a local bar. But before he can report his findings, the bar is raided and information is spread to suggest that he was caught having sex with a prostitute, Elena Visinescu ( Anamaria Marinca), at the time of the raid. Appleton refutes the allegations, but is ordered to cease investigation into Kernwell by his boss, Joan Stewart ( Alison Peebles). Appleton decides to continue privately investigating Kernwell, and discovers that shortly after leaving

to head for Europe, Anya's body was found washed up on the shores of an Italian beach. After becoming separated from her sister, Elena heads for London to find Appleton. With Elena's help, Appleton sets out to expose the corrupt officers working for the Anti-Trafficking unit and bring Kernwell to book.

Cast

* John Simm as Daniel Appleton * Anamaria Marinca as Elena Visinescu *

Maria Popistașu Maria Popistașu (born 21 January 1980 in Bucharest) is a Romanian actress. Awards *2005 - Gemini Award for Best Supporting Actress in a Television Film or Miniseries - '' Sex Traffic''"CTV wins Gemini for movie about Montreal detective". ''Wa ...

as Vara Visinescu * Chris Potter as Tom Harlsburgh *

Wendy Crewson Wendy Jane Crewson (born May 9, 1956) is a Canadian actress and producer. She began her career appearing on Canadian television, before her breakthrough role in 1991 dramatic film '' The Doctor''. Crewson has appeared in many Hollywood films, inc ...

as Madeleine Harlsburgh * Len Cariou as Magnus Herzoff * Maury Chaykin as Ernie Dwight *

as Sergeant Callum Tate *

as Major James Brooke * Alison Peebles as Joan Stewart * Dan Astileanu as Deputy Chief Rudi Lascar * Razvan Vasilescu as Colonel Matteo Giusto *

Jason Watkins Jason Watkins (born 28 October 1962) is an English stage, film and television actor. He played the lead role in the two-part drama ''The Lost Honour of Christopher Jefferies'', for which he won the BAFTA TV Award for Best Actor. He has also ...

as Inspector Lucas Reese *

John Sharian John Sharian (born John Shahnazarian) is an English actor of Armenian descent. He appeared in the film '' The Machinist'' (2004). Education John Sharian attended the Taft School in Watertown, Connecticut and later the Kenyon College in Gambier ...

as Barry Edwards * Rodica Negrea as Luiba Visinescu *

Carlotta Natoli Carlotta Natoli (born 29 May 1971) is an Italian actress. Life and career Born in Rome, the daughter of Piero Natoli, she made her film debut in 1980, at the age of eight years, in her father's semi-autobiographical indie film ''Con... fusion ...

as Dr. Lola Carizonne *

Barbara Eve Harris Barbara Eve Harris (born Barbara Evadney Reid-Hibbert; March 8, 1959) is a Tobagonian-Canadian actress, known for her supporting performances on television. She is best known for her role as FBI Agent Felicia Lang on '' Prison Break''. Life an ...

as Audrey Dupoint * Alexandra Fasola as Anya Petria * Ephraim Ellis as Billy Harlsburgh * Nikki Barnett as Leah Harlsburgh *

Arben Bajraktaraj Arben Bajraktaraj (born 29 January 1973) is a Kosovan-born French actor. Bajraktaraj has starred in numerous French films but also in roles in international movies, such as '' Eden Log'' and ''Sex Traffic''. He has frequently portrayed crime syndic ...

as Thaki *

Emil Hostina Emil or Emile may refer to: Literature *'' Emile, or On Education'' (1762), a treatise on education by Jean-Jacques Rousseau * ''Émile'' (novel) (1827), an autobiographical novel based on Émile de Girardin's early life *'' Emil and the Detecti ...

as Severin * Elina Löwensohn as Maria Danielski * Zoltan Butuc as Petre Danielski

Reception

''Sex Traffic'' received critical acclaim across the board, with the

British Film Institute The British Film Institute (BFI) is a film and television charitable organisation which promotes and preserves film-making and television in the United Kingdom. The BFI uses funds provided by the National Lottery to encourage film production, ...

's Screenonline writing; "As in his previous television work, including his adaptation of

Anthony Trollope Anthony Trollope (; 24 April 1815 – 6 December 1882) was an English novelist and civil servant of the Victorian era. Among his best-known works is a series of novels collectively known as the '' Chronicles of Barsetshire'', which revolves ar ...

's ''

The Way We Live Now ''The Way We Live Now'' is a satirical novel by Anthony Trollope, published in London in 1875 after first appearing in serialised form. It is one of the last significant Victorian novels to have been published in monthly parts. The novel is ...

'' which drew parallels between its ruthless Victorian entrepreneur hero and modern media tycoons, and the fine conspiracy thriller, '' State of Play'', director

gives a thrilling and complicated narrative a strong social and political dimension. The brutality of brothel life is tellingly juxtaposed with the ethics of Boston business, which is lavish with its charity while turning a knowingly blind eye to corruption. ''Sex Traffic'' is impeccably photographed, edited and scored." ''

The Daily Telegraph ''The Daily Telegraph'', known online and elsewhere as ''The Telegraph'', is a national British daily broadsheet newspaper published in London by Telegraph Media Group and distributed across the United Kingdom and internationally. It was f ...

'' wrote, "''Sex Traffic'' is brutally honest in its treatment of a distressing subject, but it's this very honesty that makes it such a vital drama. It does indeed go to the heart of the audience, and its dark images stay with you for a long, long time. Difficult viewing, yes, but essential." ''

Empire An empire is a "political unit" made up of several territories and peoples, "usually created by conquest, and divided between a dominant center and subordinate peripheries". The center of the empire (sometimes referred to as the metropole) ex ...

'' commented that ''Sex Traffic'' was a "courageous, shocking piece of work", while ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers '' The Observer'' and '' The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the ...

'' called it "a gripping thriller".IFC Films
John Simm commented, "Watching ''Sex Traffic'' is not a horrible experience, because it works well as a thriller, so it's exciting and you are always gunning for the good guys – but you can't escape the fact that it's a depressing subject matter."

References

External links

* * {{Prostitution in Canada 2000s Canadian television miniseries 2000s Canadian drama television series 2004 Canadian television series debuts 2004 Canadian television series endings Channel 4 original programming 2000s British television miniseries 2000s British drama television series 2004 British television series debuts 2004 British television series endings Television series by ITV Studios Television shows produced by Granada Television English-language television shows Films directed by David Yates Works about sex trafficking Prostitution in British television Gemini and Canadian Screen Award for Best Television Film or Miniseries winners English-language Canadian films

Plot

Cast

Reception

See also

References

External links