Steven Soderbergh based his award-winning feature Traffic on Carnival’s groundbreaking, highly acclaimed mini-series. A gripping contemporary drama that pursues the international heroin trade across a 4000 mile trail of murder and menace. With action in Britain, Pakistan and Germany, the story begins with the arrest of a prominent German businessman for drug smuggling. His English wife HELEN ROSSHALDE (Lyndsey Duncan), facing social and financial ruin, embarks on a daring attempt to re-establish the family smuggling empire under the noses of the German police. In Britain, the Minister at the Home Office JACK LITHGOW(Bill Paterson) is responsible for overseeing a new aid agreement with Pakistan, which involves reducing opium production. Intelligent, but caring little for people, the Minister believes there is a solution for every problem. He is forced to re-evaluate his life and beliefs when he discovers his daughter is a heroin addict. A young opium farmer, FAZAL (Jamal Shah), in Pakistan, his fields burnt and livelihood destroyed, is forced to travel to Karachi where he becomes involved in a wealthy drug traffiking ring, with tragic consequences. All three dramas are interwoven skillfully as the series develops.
STARRING: Lyndsey Duncan, Bill Paterson, Fritz Muller-Scherz, Jamal Shah
WRITER: Simon Moore
DIRECTOR: Alastair Reid
PRODUCER: Brian Eastman
AWARDS: International Emmy, Broadcasting Press Guilds Awards, Royal Television Society Award, BANFF – Best Drama Series and Grand Jury Prize, Umbria Fiction Award for Best Mini-Series and Best of Festival
