From there, he goes to the Sangatte asylum seekers camp and with a new friend, Yusef, he crosses the English Channel by stowing away on a lorry.

The production team lied to authorities in several countries in order to secure filming rights, having met government resistance in Iran and Pakistan.

It was released in the United States in a limited number of cities in September 2003 by Lions Gate as part of the short-lived Sundance Film Series partnership experiment with Loews Cineplex Entertainment.

[3] In a case of life imitating art, after returning to Pakistan, Jamal Udin Torabi made the journey to London in reality and applied for asylum.

[4] He lived with a family in South East London, although he was only granted leave to remain in the UK until his eighteenth birthday.