Dossier Anglais Bac Pro: la route de Guantanamo (document en anglais)

I. Identification of documentary

The road to Guantanamo is a documentary British that talks of the prison in Guantanamo, Cuba. It has been realized by Michael Winterbottom and Mat Whitecross, in 2006.

It tells the true story of four young British who were detained for two years at Guantanamo by the American military. Shafiq, Ruhel, Asif, and Monir traveled to Pakistan to take part in Asif's wedding. Once in Pakistan, they attend a mosque, where the imam invited to help those in need in Afghanistan. The young men decided to travel to Afghanistan. The bombing began when they arrived. When they try to return to the border, are found in the Taliban bastion of Kunduz, where they are captured by the Northern Alliance. At this point, Monir is separated from the group, and they never see him again. Shafiq, Ruhel, and Asif are brought to Sheberghan prison, where they are detained under miserable conditions, until the Americans discover that they are British. Their journey to Guantanamo begins…

Throughout of movie Shafiq, Ruhel and Asif describe their ordeal at the hands of American and British,who were determined to get them to confess their nonexistent links to Osama bin Laden and al-Qaeda.

II. Anecdote

The Road to Guantanamo involves his characters across England, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iran and Cuba, different countries that have entrained an important logistics shooting because it takes a lot of permission to film, mainly in Iran.

Michael Winterbottom has chosen new actors for his film such as Riz Ahmed, Farhad Harun, Arfan Usman. They make their first steps in cinema.

The Road to Guantanamo has received two awards, first for the best documentary at “Independent Spirit Awards 2007” at Los Angeles and second for the best director at “Berlinale 2006” at Berlin. He has received nine nomination (seven at “Berlinale 2006” and two at “European Film Awards 2006”).

Michael Winterbottom has realized other films, as in this World in 2002 and he tells the story of one Pakistani child who decides to immigrate to England with her cousin.

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