Traffik
Encyclopedia
Traffik is a 1989 British television serial about the illegal drugs trade. Its three stories are interwoven, with arcs
told from the perspectives of Pakistan
i growers and manufacturers, German
dealers, and British
users. It was nominated for six BAFTA Awards, winning three. It also won an International Emmy Award for best drama.
The 2000 crime drama film Traffic
, directed by Steven Soderbergh
, was based on this television serial. In turn, the 2004 American television miniseries Traffic
was based on both versions.
, written by Simon Moore
and directed by Alastair Reid
. In the United States, it was first aired on Masterpiece Theatre
in 1990.
The film starred:
Story arc
A story arc is an extended or continuing storyline in episodic storytelling media such as television, comic books, comic strips, boardgames, video games, and in some cases, films. On a television program, for example, the story would unfold over many episodes. In television, the use of the story...
told from the perspectives of Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
i growers and manufacturers, German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
dealers, and British
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
users. It was nominated for six BAFTA Awards, winning three. It also won an International Emmy Award for best drama.
The 2000 crime drama film Traffic
Traffic (2000 film)
Traffic is a 2000 American crime drama film directed by Steven Soderbergh and written by Stephen Gaghan. It explores the illegal drug trade from a number of perspectives: a user, an enforcer, a politician and a trafficker. Their stories are edited together throughout the film, although some of the...
, directed by Steven Soderbergh
Steven Soderbergh
Steven Andrew Soderbergh is an American film producer, screenwriter, cinematographer, editor, and an Academy Award-winning film director. He is best known for directing commercial Hollywood films like Erin Brockovich, Traffic, and the remake of Ocean's Eleven, but he has also directed smaller less...
, was based on this television serial. In turn, the 2004 American television miniseries Traffic
Traffic (TV miniseries)
Traffic: The Miniseries is a three-part feature on the United States cable channel USA Network in 2004 featuring an ensemble cast portraying the complex world of drugs, their distribution, the associated violence, and the wide variety of people whose lives are touched by it all. The mini-series was...
was based on both versions.
Background
The 1989 six-part series was produced by Britain's Channel 4Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster which began working on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the Channel...
, written by Simon Moore
Simon Moore (writer)
Simon Moore is a British screenplay writer. He wrote Traffik miniseries, which was the basis for the Oscar-winning adaptation written for Traffic. He is also the writer and director of the 1991 film Under Suspicion and the fantasy mini series The 10th Kingdom .Moore wrote the adaptation of Stephen...
and directed by Alastair Reid
Alastair Reid (director)
Alastair Reid was a British television director whose credits include the TV series Traffik and Tales of the City....
. In the United States, it was first aired on Masterpiece Theatre
Masterpiece Theatre
Masterpiece is a drama anthology television series produced by WGBH Boston. It premiered on Public Broadcasting Service on January 10, 1971, making it America's longest-running weekly prime time drama series. The series has presented numerous acclaimed British productions...
in 1990.
The film starred:
- Bill Paterson as Jack Lithgow, a Home OfficeHome OfficeThe Home Office is the United Kingdom government department responsible for immigration control, security, and order. As such it is responsible for the police, UK Border Agency, and the Security Service . It is also in charge of government policy on security-related issues such as drugs,...
minister in the UKUnited KingdomThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
government engaged in combating heroin importation from Pakistan. - Julia OrmondJulia OrmondJulia Karin Ormond is an English actress who has appeared in film and television and on stage.-Early life and education:...
as his drug addicted daughter. - George Kukura as Karl Rosshalde, a German drug smuggler.
- Lindsay DuncanLindsay DuncanLindsay Vere Duncan, CBE is a Scottish stage, television and film actress. On stage she won two Olivier Awards and a Tony Award for her performance in Les Liaisons dangereuses and Private Lives , and she starred in several plays by Harold Pinter. Her most famous roles on television include:...
as Rosshalde's wife. - Fritz Müller-Scherz and Tilo PrücknerTilo PrücknerTilo Prückner is a German television and film actor. His career has spanned five decades and more than 100 films. He is the uncle of actor Christoph Prückner.-Selected filmography:* Apokal * John Glückstadt...
as the German detectives attempting to bring down Rosshalde with the help of informer Jacques Ledesert (Peter Lakenmacher) - Jamal ShahJamal ShahJamal Shah is an actor, a director, a painter, and a social worker. He was born in 1956 in Quetta, Balochistan, Pakistan.-Education and career:...
as Pakistani opium poppyOpium poppyOpium poppy, Papaver somniferum, is the species of plant from which opium and poppy seeds are extracted. Opium is the source of many opiates, including morphine , thebaine, codeine, papaverine, and noscapine...
grower Fazal, who is evicted from his land as a result of policies encouraged by the British government. - Talat HussainTalat Hussain (actor)Talat Hussain , is a Pakistani Film/Television/Stage actor. He was born in Delhi, India, His complete name is Talat Hussain Warsi. He is the son of Altaf Hussain Warsi and Shaista Begum. His family migrated to Pakistan in 1947.Talat Hussain started his career from PTV in 1967. His first television...
as Pakistani drug lordDrug lordA drug lord, drug baron or kingpin is the term used to describe a person who controls a sizable network of persons involved in the illegal drugs trade. Such figures are often difficult to bring to justice, as they might never be directly in possession of something illegal, but are insulated from...
Tariq Butt, the supplier of Rosshalde's European heroin network.