Sex Traffic
Genre	Thriller
Written by	Abi Morgan
Directed by	David Yates
Starring	John Simm Anamaria Marinca Maria Popistașu Chris Potter Wendy Crewson Len Cariou Maury Chaykin Luke Kirby Robert Joy Alison Peebles
Composer	Jonathan Goldsmith
Country of origin	United Kingdom Canada
Original languages	English Albanian Italian Romanian
No. of episodes	2
Production
Executive producers	David MacLeod Michele Buck Wayne Grigsby
Producers	Veronica Castillo Derek Wax
Cinematography	Chris Seager
Editor	Mark Day
Running time	90 minutes(per episode)
Production company	Big Motion Pictures
Original release
Network	Channel 4
Release	14 October (2004-10-14) – 21 October 2004 (2004-10-21)

Sex Traffic is a two-part British-Canadian televisionthriller, written byAbi Morgan and directed byDavid Yates, that first broadcast onChannel 4 on 14 October 2004.^[1] The series, produced by Veronica Castillo andDerek Wax, starsJohn Simm as Daniel Appleton, a journalist who uncovers atrafficking ring involving Anti-Trafficking officers employed by a private security company in theUnited States. As Daniel vows to help Elena (Anamaria Marinca), one of the trafficked girls, he attempts to expose the business which forces young women fromEastern Europe into a life of sexual slavery.

The series was filmed betweenLondon,Bucharest andNova Scotia. The series was also broadcast onCBC inCanada during October 2004. Marinca, in her first credited television role, won theBAFTA award for Best Actress, one of eight BAFTAs, including Best Drama Serial, and fourGemini Awards for the series.^[2] The series was released on DVD on September 4, 2006.^[3]

The expulsion of Sergeant Callum Tate, an Anti-Trafficking officer working inBosnia, sparks concern for multi-national private security company Kernwell, headed up by Tom Harlsburgh. Having been caught seemingly trying to procure a prostitute for $2,000, Tate's actions have threatened to throw the entire company into disrepute, just as the directors are on the brink of signing an $8 million contract to provide private security inIraq. Tate denies the allegations, claiming that he was trying to free Anya Petria, a student who had been trafficked fromRomania and forced to work as a prostitute. Tate claims that a number of Kernwell officers, including Major James Brooke, are involved in a trafficking ring involving the enslavement of young women seeking refuge from their own countries in the hope of finding a better life in the West. Kernwell order a press blackout, preventing Tate's suspension or any of the allegations made reaching the press.

Meanwhile, Daniel Appleton, a journalist working for London-based charity Speak For Freedom, travels to Bosnia to report on Kernwell's activities, and whilst there, he witnesses a number of Anti-Trafficking officers having sex with prostitutes at a local bar. Before he can report his findings, the bar is raided and information is spread to suggest that he was caught having sex with a prostitute, Elena Visinescu, at the time of the raid. Appleton refutes the allegations, but is ordered to cease investigation into Kernwell by his boss, Joan Stewart. Appleton decides to continue privately investigating Kernwell, and discovers that shortly after leaving Bosnia, Anya's body was found washed up on the shores of an Italian beach. After becoming separated from her sister, Elena heads for London to find Appleton. With Elena's help, Appleton sets out to expose the corrupt officers working for the Anti-Trafficking unit and bring Kernwell to book.

Sex Traffic received critical acclaim across the board, with theBritish Film Institute's Screenonline writing; "As in his previous television work, including his adaptation ofAnthony Trollope'sThe Way We Live Now which drew parallels between its ruthless Victorian entrepreneur hero and modern media tycoons, and the fine conspiracy thriller,State of Play, directorDavid Yates gives a thrilling and complicated narrative a strong social and political dimension. The brutality of brothel life is tellingly juxtaposed with the ethics of Boston business, which is lavish with its charity while turning a knowingly blind eye to corruption.Sex Traffic is impeccably photographed, edited and scored."^[4]

The Daily Telegraph wrote, "Sex Traffic is brutally honest in its treatment of a distressing subject, but it's this very honesty that makes it such a vital drama. It does indeed go to the heart of the audience, and its dark images stay with you for a long, long time. Difficult viewing, yes, but essential."^[1]Empire commented thatSex Traffic was a "courageous, shocking piece of work", whileThe Guardian called it "a gripping thriller".^[5]John Simm commented, "WatchingSex Traffic is not a horrible experience, because it works well as a thriller, so it's exciting and you are always gunning for the good guys – but you can't escape the fact that it's a depressing subject matter."^[1]

• Human trafficking
• Human Trafficking (miniseries)

• Sex Traffic at theBFI'sScreenonline
• Sex Traffic atIMDb 

• 2000s Canadian television miniseries
• 2000s Canadian drama television series
• 2004 Canadian television series debuts
• 2004 Canadian television series endings
• Channel 4 original programming
• 2000s British television miniseries
• 2000s British drama television series
• 2004 British television series debuts
• 2004 British television series endings
• Television series by ITV Studios
• Television shows produced by Granada Television
• British English-language television shows
• Films directed by David Yates
• Works about sex trafficking
• British television shows about prostitution
• Gemini and Canadian Screen Award for Best Television Film or Miniseries winners
• English-language Canadian films

• Webarchive template wayback links
• Articles with short description
• Short description is different from Wikidata
• Use dmy dates from February 2014