Traffik

Last updated

Traffik
Written by Simon Moore
Directed by Alastair Reid
Starring
No. of seasons1
No. of episodes6
Production
Production company Channel 4
Original release
Release1989 (1989)

Traffik is a 1989 British television serial about an illegal drug trade. Its three stories are interwoven, with arcs told from the perspectives of Afghan and Pakistani growers, dealers and manufacturers, German dealers, and British users. It was nominated for six BAFTA Awards, winning four, including for Best Drama Series or Serial. It also won an International Emmy Award for best drama. The 2000 crime drama film Traffic , directed by Steven Soderbergh, was based on the miniseries. In turn, the 2004 American television miniseries Traffic was based on both versions. [1] [2]

Contents

Background

The six-part serial was produced by Britain's Channel 4, written by Simon Moore and directed by Alastair Reid. In the United States, it first aired on Masterpiece Theatre in 1990.

Cast

Episode list

No.TitleOriginal air date
1"The Farmer"22 June 1989 (1989-06-22)
2"The Addict"26 June 1989 (1989-06-26)
3"The Criminal"3 July 1989 (1989-07-03)
4"The Chemist"10 July 1989 (1989-07-10)
5"The Politician"17 July 1989 (1989-07-17)
6"The Courier"24 July 1989 (1989-07-24)

Reception

The miniseries currently has an average rating of 83% on Rotten Tomatoes. [3] Writer Suan C. Boyd acknowledges the miniseries for giving different perspectives of the global war on drug trade, going as far as to claim that Traffik is the only film sample that includes the poppy grower in depth. [4]

Awards and nominations

YearAwardCategoryResult
1989 International Emmy Award [5] DramaWon
1990 BAFTA Awards [6] Drama Series or SerialWon
DesignWon
Film CameramanWon
Film SoundWon
Film EditorNominated
Original Television MusicNominated

Home media

The miniseries was released on DVD on 26 June 2001 by Acorn Media. [7]

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References

  1. Lim, Dennis (27 September 2009). "'Traffik,' British miniseries" via LA Times.
  2. Yannis Tzioumakis (7 March 2012). Unknown. Edinburgh University Press. p. 142. ISBN   978-0-7486-6453-5.
  3. "Traffik". Rotten Tomatoes .
  4. Susan C. Boyd (September 2009). Hooked: Drug War Films in Britain, Canada, and the United States . University of Toronto Press. p.  178. ISBN   978-1-4426-1017-0.
  5. 'Traffik' tells of drug trade, Reading Eagle, 22 April 1990
  6. BAFTA Awards Search - 1990
  7. Kirkwood, Kyra (7 May 2001). "It's Not the Oscar-Winning 'Traffic' -- but Acorn Media's 'Traffik' Is the Original". hive4media.com. Archived from the original on 28 May 2001. Retrieved 8 September 2019.