2012 is a 2009 American science fiction disaster film directed by Roland Emmerich.

It stars John
Cusack, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Amanda Peet, Oliver Platt, Thandie Newton, Danny Glover and
Woody Harrelson. It was produced by Emmerich's production company, Centropolis
Entertainment and distributed by Columbia Pictures. Filming began in August 2008 in
Vancouver. Although it received generally mixed reviews, its worldwide theatrical revenue
reached about $770 million.

The film includes references to Mayanism, the Mesoamerican Long Count calendar and the 2012
phenomenon in its portrayal of cataclysmic events unfolding in 2012.

Emmerich has announced that 2012 will be his last film involving disasters.[3]

Contents
[hide]

• 1 Plot
o 1.1 Alternate ending
• 2 Cast
• 3 Production
• 4 Soundtrack
• 5 Marketing
• 6 Release
• 7 Reception
o 7.1 Box office
o 7.2 Critical response
o 7.3 North Korean ban
• 8 Television spin-off
• 9 References

• 10 External links

[edit] Plot
In 2009, Adrian Helmsley (Chiwetel Ejiofor), an American geologist, visits astrophysicist Dr.
Satnam Tsurutani (Jimi Mistry) in India and learns that neutrinos from a massive solar flare are
causing the temperature of the Earth's core to increase. Adrian informs White House Chief of
Staff Carl Anheuser (Oliver Platt) and United States President Thomas Wilson (Danny Glover)
that this will trigger a catastrophic chain of natural disasters.

In 2010, Wilson, along with other international leaders, begins a secret project intended to ensure
humanity's survival. Approximately 400,000 people are chosen to board ships called "arks" that
are constructed at Cho Ming, Tibet, in the Himalayas. Additional funding for the project is raised
by selling tickets to the private sector for €1 billion per person.
By 2011, humanity's valuable treasures are moved to the Himalayas under the guise of protecting
them from terrorist attacks with the help of art expert/First Daughter Dr. Laura Wilson (Thandie
Newton) when she meets with the Louvre director Roland Picard (Patrick Bauchau).

In 2012, Jackson Curtis (John Cusack) is a science fiction writer in Los Angeles who works part-
time as a limousine driver for billionaire Yuri Karpov (Zlatko Burić). Jackson's ex-wife Kate
(Amanda Peet) and their children Noah (Liam James) and Lilly (Morgan Lily) live with Kate's
boyfriend, plastic surgeon and amateur pilot Gordon Silberman (Thomas McCarthy).

Jackson takes Noah and Lilly camping in Yellowstone National Park. After their encounter with
Dr. Helmsley, Jackson and the kids meet Charlie Frost (Woody Harrelson) who hosts a radio
show from the park. That night, Charlie plays a video of Charles Hapgood's theory that polar
shifts and the Mesoamerican Long Count Calendar predict that the 2012 phenomenon is going to
occur. He has a map of the ark project in addition to information about government officials and
scientists from around the world who were murdered after planning to alert the public about the
project and the upcoming apocalypse.

The family returns home as seismic activity increases along the west coast of the United States.
Jackson grows suspicious and rents a plane to rescue his family. He collects his family and
Gordon as the Earth crust displacement begins, and they escape Los Angeles using first using a
limousine and then a Cessna 340 as the city slides into the Pacific Ocean in a mega earthquake
that ruptures the San Andreas Fault.

As millions die in catastrophic earthquakes worldwide, the group flies to Yellowstone to retrieve
Charlie's map, escaping as the Yellowstone Caldera erupts. Staying behind to broadcast the
eruption, Charlie is killed in the blast. Learning the arks are in China, the group lands in Las
Vegas. They meet Yuri, his twin sons Alec and Oleg (Alexandre Haussmann and Philippe
Haussmann), girlfriend Tamara (Beatrice Rosen) and pilot Sasha (Johann Urb). The group
secures an Antonov 500 aircraft and departs for China. Also heading for the arks aboard Air
Force One are Anheuser, Helmsley and Laura Wilson. President Wilson chooses to remain in
Washington, D.C. to address the nation one last time. With the Vice President dead and the
Speaker of the House missing, Anheuser assumes de facto leadership. President Wilson is later
killed by a megatsunami that sends the aircraft carrier USS John F. Kennedy crashing into the
White House.

Arriving in People's Republic of China in a crash landing that kills Sasha, the group is spotted by
the People's Liberation Army. Yuri and his sons, possessing tickets, are taken to the arks.
Meanwhile in Eastern India, Satnam phones Helmsley to warn him about a megatsunami that
would arrive at the location of the arks earlier than expected. Satnam is then killed along with his
family and other Indians scaling the Nampan Plateau when the airlift for his family never
showed up. Then the Curtis family, Gordon and Tamara are picked up by Nima (Osric Chau), a
Buddhist monk on his way to the arks with his grandparents (Lisa Lu and Chang Tseng). They
stow away with the help of Nima's brother Tenzin (Chin Han), who has been working on the ark
project's construction crew. As a megatsunami approaches the site, an impact driver becomes
lodged between the gears of the ark's hydraulics chamber, preventing a boarding gate from
closing and rendering the ship unable to start its engines. In the ensuing chaos, Yuri, Gordon and
Tamara are killed, Tenzin is wounded, and the flooding ark is set adrift. Jackson and Noah
dislodge the impact driver and the crew regains control of the ark, preventing a collision with
Mount Everest.

After flood waters from the tsunamis recede, the arks set sail for the Cape of Good Hope in
South Africa where the Drakensberg Mountains have risen in relation to sea level and become
the tallest mountains in the world. Jackson is reconciled with his family and Helmsley starts a
relationship with Laura. The film ends with the camera panning out to show Africa on the Earth's
new landscape.

[edit] Alternate ending

The alternate ending is featured on the DVD. After Captain Michaels has told Dr. Helmsley that
they have set sail for the Cape of Good Hope, he tells Dr. Helmsley that someone on the phone
wants to speak to him. Dr. Helmsley discovers that his dad Harry is on the phone with him.
Harry tells his son that he, Tony (whose arm is in a sling), and a crew member survived the
megatsunami that hit the Genesis. Captain Michaels states that they should have the visual of the
Genesis shortly. Jackson gives Noah his phone that he recovered. As Kate thanks Laura for
taking care of Lily, Jackson is told by Laura that she liked his book as Lily notices an island. The
Arks then arrive at the island where the Genesis is shipwrecked on.

[edit] Cast
• John Cusack as Jackson Curtis, a struggling science fiction novelist who occasionally
works as a limousine driver.[4]
• Chiwetel Ejiofor as Dr. Adrian Helmsley, geologist and scientific advisor to the President
of the USA, who is a big fan of Curtis' work.[5]
• Amanda Peet as Kate Curtis, a medical student and Jackson's ex-wife.[6]
• Liam James as Noah Curtis, Jackson and Kate's son.
• Morgan Lily as Lilly Curtis, Jackson and Kate's daughter.
• Thomas McCarthy as Dr. Gordon Silberman, Kate's current boyfriend, a plastic surgeon.
[7]

• Danny Glover as Thomas Wilson, the President of the United States.[8]

• Thandie Newton as Dr. Laura Wilson, art expert who helps gather the world's art
treasures and President Wilson's daughter.[8]
• Oliver Platt as Carl Anheuser, the President's Chief of Staff.[8]
• Zlatko Burić as Yuri Karpov, a Russian billionaire.
• Beatrice Rosen as Tamara, Yuri's Russian girlfriend.
• Alexandre Haussmann as Alec Karpov, one of Yuri's sons.
• Philippe Haussmann as Oleg Karpov, Alec's twin brother.
• Woody Harrelson as Charlie Frost, a scientist disguised as a Yellowstone hermit who
explains the Mayan 2012 legends to Jackson Curtis.
• Chin Han as Tenzin, a worker in Tibet.
• Osric Chau as Nima, a Buddhist monk and Tenzin's brother.
• Lisa Lu as Grandma Sonam, Nima and Tenzin's grandmother.
• Chang Tseng as Grandpa Sonam, Nima and Tenzin's grandfather.
 • John Billingsley as Professor Frederic West, an American scientist.
• Ryan McDonald as Scotty, Dr. Helmsley's assistant.
• Johann Urb as Sasha, a Russian pilot and Tamara's lover.
• Blu Mankuma as Harry Helmsley, Adrian's father and Tony's musical (jazz) partner.
• George Segal as Tony Delgatto, an elderly traveling musician and Harry's musical (jazz)
partner.
• Patrick Bauchau as Roland Picard, the curator of the Louvre who is killed by the
government when he gets too near the truth.
• Jimi Mistry as Dr. Satnam Tsurutani, an Indian scientist who helps discover the events
leading to the catastrophe.
• Karin Konoval as Sally, President Wilson's secretary.
• Stephen McHattie as Captain Michaels, the captain of the ark that Jackson and his family
stowaway on.
• Henry O as Lama Rinpoche
• Gerard Plunkett as Isaacs

Zinaid Memisevic cameos as Sergey Makarenko the President of Russia. Merrilyn Gann cameos
as a German Chancellor. Parm Soor cameos as the Prince of Saudi Arabia. Leonard Tenisci
cameos as the Italian Prime Minister. Lyndall Grant cameos as the Governor of California.
Dominic Zamprogna cameos as a medic. Jorgito Vargas, Jr. cameos as a chef. Doron Bell Jr.
cameos as an AF1 Science Officer. David Orth cameos as a AF1 Lieutenant. Ty Olsson cameos
as an AF1 Officer. Dean Redman cameos as a Vegas Fireman. Mark Oliver cameos as a
Fundraiser Security.

[edit] Production
The credits cite the bestselling non-fiction book Fingerprints of the Gods by author Graham
Hancock as inspiration for the film,[9] and in an interview with the London magazine Time Out
Emmerich states: "I always wanted to do a biblical flood movie, but I never felt I had the hook. I
first read about the Earth's Crust Displacement Theory in Graham Hancock's Fingerprints of the
Gods."[10]

Director Emmerich and composer-producer Harald Kloser had an extremely close relationship
and also co-wrote a spec script titled 2012, which was marketed to major studios in February
2008. Nearly all studios met with Emmerich and his representatives to hear the director's budget
projection and story plans, a process that the director had previously gone through with the films
Independence Day (1996) and The Day After Tomorrow (2004).[11] Later that month, Sony
Pictures Entertainment won the rights for the spec script, planning to distribute it under
Columbia Pictures[12] and to make it for less than the estimated budget.[8] According to
Emmerich, the film was eventually produced for about $200 million.[1]

Filming was originally scheduled to begin in Los Angeles, California, in July 2008[13] but instead
commenced in Kamloops, Savona, Cache Creek and Ashcroft in British Columbia, Canada.[14]
Due to the possible 2008 Screen Actors Guild strike, filmmakers set up a contingency plan for
salvaging the film.[15] Uncharted Territory, Digital Domain, Double Negative, Scanline, Sony
Pictures Imageworks and others were hired to create computer animated visual effects for 2012.
[16]
Thomas Wander co-wrote the score with Harald Kloser.

Although the film depicts the destruction of several major cultural and historical icons around the
world, Emmerich stated that the Kaaba was also considered for selection. Kloser opposed the
idea out of fear that a fatwā might be issued against him.[17][18]

[edit] Soundtrack
2012: Original Motion Picture
Soundtrack

Film score by Harald Kloser and Thomas Wander

Released November 10, 2009
Length 57:48
Label RCA Victor

The original score for the film was composed by Harald Kloser and Thomas Wander. Singer
Adam Lambert contributed a song for the film titled "Time for Miracles" and expressed his
gratitude for the opportunity in an interview with MTV.[19]

The film's soundtrack consists of 24 tracks, and it includes the songs "Fades Like a Photograph"
by Filter and "It Ain't the End of the World", performed by George Segal and Blu Mankuma,
which were featured in the actual film.[20] The trailer music was Master of Shadows by Two Steps
From Hell.

No. Title Length

1. "Time for Miracles" (Performed by Adam Lambert) 4:43
2. "Constellation" 1:30
3. "Wisconsin" 1:14
4. "U.S. Army" 2:20
5. "Ready to Rumble" 1:42
6. "Spirit of Santa Monica" 1:21
7. "It Ain't the End of the World" (Performed by George Segal and Blu Mankuma) 2:52
 8. "Great Kid" 2:17
9. "Finding Charlie" 1:45
10. "Run Daddy Run" 1:14
11. "Stepping Into the Darkness" 1:35
12. "Leaving Las Vegas" 1:44
13. "Ashes in D.C." 4:19
14. "We are Taking the Bentley" 3:43
15. "Nampan Plateau" 2:51
16. "Saving Caesar" 2:09
17. "Adrian's Speech" 1:41
18. "Open the Gates!" 2:16
19. "The Impact" 1:49
20. "Suicide Mission" 2:06
21. "2012 The End of the World" 1:24
22. "Collision with Mount Everest" 1:09
23. "The End is Only the Beginning" 5:44
24. "Fades Like a Photograph" (Performed by Filter) 4:19
Total length: 57:48

[edit] Marketing
The film was promoted in a marketing campaign by a fictional organization, the "Institute for
Human Continuity"; this entailed a fictitious book written by Jackson Curtis titled Farewell
Atlantis, and streaming media, blog updates and radio broadcasts from the apocalyptic zealot
Charlie Frost at his website This Is The End. This campaign was subjected to numerous
criticisms[by whom?] and was regarded as a form of viral marketing.

On November 12, 2008, the new studio released the first teaser trailer for 2012 that showed a
tsunami surging over the Himalayas and interlaced a purportedly scientific message suggesting
that the world would end in 2012, and that the world's governments were not preparing its
population for the event. The trailer ended with a message to viewers to "find out the truth" by
searching "2012" on search engines. The Guardian criticized the marketing effectiveness as
"deeply flawed" and associated it with "websites that make even more spurious claims about
2012".[21]

The studio also launched a viral marketing website operated by the fictional Institute for Human
Continuity, where filmgoers could register for a lottery number to be part of a small population
that would be rescued from the global destruction.[22] David Morrison of NASA received over
1000 inquiries from people who thought the website was genuine, and condemned it. "I've even
had cases of teenagers writing to me saying they are contemplating suicide because they don't
want to see the world end," he said. "I think when you lie on the internet and scare children to
make a buck, that is ethically wrong."[23] Another viral marketing website promotes Farewell
Atlantis, a fictional suspense novel by the film's lead protagonist, about the events of 2012.[24]

Comcast had also organized a "roadblock campaign" to promote the film, where a two-minute
scene from the film was broadcast across 450 American commercial television networks, local
English and Spanish language stations, and 89 cable outlets within a ten-minute window between
10:50 PM EDT/PDT and 11:00 PM EDT/PDT on October 1, 2009.[25] The scene featured the
destruction of Los Angeles and ended with a cliffhanger, with the entire 5-minute-38-second clip
made available on Comcast's Fancast web site. The trade newspaper Variety estimated that, "The
stunt will put the footage in front of 90% of all households watching ad-supported TV, or nearly
110 million viewers. When combined with online and mobile streams, that could increase to
more than 140 million".[25]

[edit] Release
2012 was originally scheduled to be released on July 10, 2009. The release date was changed to
November 2009 to move out of the busy summer schedule into a time frame that the studio
considered to have more potential for financial success. According to the studio, the film could
have been completed for the summer release date, but the date change would give more time to
the production.[26] The film was released on November 11, 2009.[27][28] It was released on Friday
November 13, 2009 in Sweden, Canada, Denmark, Mexico and the United States, and was
released on November 21, 2009 in Japan.[29] It was given a wide release in India on
November 13, 2009. In the United Kingdom where it was released on Friday November 13,
2009, two cinemas had a screening time of 8:12pm (20:12 on a 24 hour clock) to coincide with
the film's title.[30] Twenty theaters in the United Arab Emirates also screened the movie at
8:12pm.[31]

The DVD and Blu-ray for 2012 were released on March 2, 2010.[32] The 2-Disc Blu-ray Edition
includes over 90 minutes of special features, including Adam Lambert's music video "Time for
Miracles", and a Digital Copy for PSP, PC, Mac & iPod.[33] The European release date of 2012
on DVD was March 26, 2010; it includes the same special features as the North American
version.[34]

[edit] Reception
[edit] Box office

2012 opened at number one with an estimated $65 million on its first weekend and with
$225 million at the worldwide box office in its opening weekend. The film has grossed
$166 million in the United States and Canada markets and $602.3 million in international
markets, for a worldwide total of $767,918,347,[2] making it the 5th–highest grossing film of
2009[35] and the 35th-highest grossing film of all time worldwide.[36] It surpasses Emmerich's
previous disaster film The Day After Tomorrow, which grossed $544.4 million worldwide.[37]

The film topped the international box office in its first weekend with $225 million.[38] It
ultimately grossed over $769 million worldwide, becoming Emmerich's second highest grossing
film, behind Independence Day. The film is Emmerich's first feature film to be shot using high-
definition video cameras, specifically the Panavision Genesis.

[edit] Critical response

The film received generally mixed reviews from film critics. Review aggregator Rotten
Tomatoes reports that 39% of 2012 critics have given the film a positive review, with a rating
average of 6.1 out of 10.[39] Among the site's notable critics, 49% gave the film a positive write-
up, based on a sample of 34. The site's consensus is that "Roland Emmerich's 2012 provides
plenty of visual thrills, but lacks a strong enough script to support its massive scope and inflated
length."[40] Metacritic, which assigns a weighted average score out of 1–100 reviews from film
critics has a rating score of 49 based on 34 reviews.[41]

Peter Travers of Rolling Stone criticized the film by comparing it to Transformers 2: Revenge of
the Fallen: "Beware 2012, which works the dubious miracle of almost matching Transformers 2
for sheer, cynical, mind-numbing, time-wasting, money-draining, soul-sucking stupidity."[42]
Roger Ebert was enthusiastic about the film, giving it 3½ stars out of 4, saying it "delivers what
it promises, and since no sentient being will buy a ticket expecting anything else, it will be, for
its audiences, one of the most satisfactory films of the year".[43] Both Ebert and Claudia Puig of
USA Today called the film the "mother of all disaster movies".[43][44]

[edit] North Korean ban

North Korea has reportedly banned possession or viewing of the film. The year 2012 is the
100th anniversary of the birth of the nation's founder, Kim Il Sung, and has been designated by
the North Korean government as "the year for opening the grand gates to becoming a rising
superpower". Thus, a movie which depicts the year in a negative light is found to be offensive by
the North Korean government. Several people in North Korea have reportedly been arrested for
possessing or viewing pirated copies of the movie and charged with "grave provocation against
the development of the state."[45]

[edit] Television spin-off

Speaking to Entertainment Weekly, Emmerich confirmed that a television series based upon the
film was in the works after the film was complete. The series was tentatively titled 2013, and
would have served as a follow-up to the film.[46]

Emmerich stated in the interview, "The plan is that it is 2013 and it's about what happens after
the disaster. It is about the resettling of Earth. That is very, very fascinating. Harald Kloser and I
came up with the idea and we have the luxury of having a producer on the film who is a big TV
producer, Mark Gordon. We said to Mark, 'Why don't you do a TV show that picks up where the
movie leaves off and call it 2013?' I think it will focus on a group of people who survived but not
on the boats ... maybe they were on a piece of land that was spared or one that became an island
in the process of the crust moving. There are so many possibilities of what they could do and I'd
be excited to watch it."

On March 2, 2010, it was announced that ABC decided to pass on the television spin-off of the
film.[47]

Independence Day (also known by its promotional abbreviation ID4) is a 1996 science fiction
film about a hostile alien invasion of Earth, focusing on a disparate group of individuals and
families as they converge in the Nevada desert and, along with the rest of the human population,
participate in a last-chance retaliation on July 4 – the same date as the Independence Day holiday
in the United States. It was directed by Roland Emmerich, who co-wrote the script with producer
Dean Devlin.

While promoting Stargate in Europe, Emmerich came up with the idea for the film when fielding
a question about his own belief in the existence of alien life. He and Devlin decided to
incorporate a large-scale attack when noticing that aliens in most invasion films travel long
distances in outer space only to remain hidden when reaching Earth. Principal photography for
the film began in July 1995 in New York City, and the film was officially completed on June 20,
1996.

The film was scheduled for release on July 3, 1996, but due to the high level of anticipation for
the movie, many theaters began showing it on the evening of July 2, 1996, the same day the film
begins. The film's combined domestic and international box office gross is $816,969,268, which
at one point was the second-highest worldwide gross of all-time. It holds the 27th highest
worldwide gross of a movie all-time, and was at the forefront of the large-scale disaster film and
science fiction resurgences of the mid-to-late-1990s. It also won the Academy Award for Visual
Effects.

Contents
[hide]

• 1 Plot
• 2 Cast
• 3 Production
• 4 Distribution
• 5 In other media
o 5.1 Books
o 5.2 Radio
o 5.3 Computer games
• 6 Reception
o 6.1 Commercial
o 6.2 Critical
• 7 Sequel(s)
• 8 Notes
• 9 References

• 10 External links

[edit] Plot
On July 2, an enormous alien mothership enters orbit around Earth and deploys 36 saucer-shaped
destroyers, each of which is at least 15 miles wide, over major cities around the globe. In New
York City, David Levinson (Jeff Goldblum) discovers transmissions that he believes the aliens
are using as a countdown to coordinate an attack. David and his father Julius (Judd Hirsch) travel
to the White House and warn U.S. President Thomas J. Whitmore (Bill Pullman) of the attack.
The President, portions of his Cabinet and the Levinsons narrowly escape aboard Air Force One
as the aliens destroy Washington DC, New York, Los Angeles, and other major cities around the
world with energy based weapons.

Meanwhile, USMC Captain Steven Hiller (Will Smith) is called to take part in a counterattack
against the aliens. His girlfriend Jasmine, her son and dog survive the attack by hiding in a
workmen's shed in a Los Angeles freeway tunnel. The next day, on July 3, Jasmine finds the
injured First Lady (Mary McDonnell), who had been in Los Angeles and whose helicopter was
brought down by the alien attack.

On the same day, as part of a U.S. counterattack, Captain Hiller leads a squadron of F/A-18
Hornets on a mission to engage with a destroyer near the remains of Los Angeles. The destroyers
are revealed to be guarded by force fields which repel projectiles and nuclear detonations, and it
releases scores of smaller "attacker" ships which are armed with similar shields and weaponry.
After a one-sided dogfight ensues, Hiller survives by luring an attacker to the Grand Canyon,[4]
where he causes it to crash and then subdues the alien pilot. Hiller is picked up in the desert by a
refugee group that includes Russell Casse (Randy Quaid), an alcoholic crop-duster who has
claimed for years that he was abducted by aliens in his youth. They take the captured alien to
Area 51, where Air Force One has already landed. Area 51 conceals a top secret facility housing
a repaired attacker and three alien bodies recovered from Roswell in 1947. The captured alien
regains consciousness at an Area 51 lab, and reveals that its species travels from planet to planet,
harvesting a planet's resources before moving on. The alien attempts a psychic attack against
Whitmore, but is shot and killed by his entourage. A retaliatory nuclear attack against a destroyer
over Houston ends in failure. The President and his daughter Patricia later visit the First Lady
when she is in the hospital, and it is revealed that she suffered mortal internal injuries in her
helicopter's crash. The President stays with her for the last few minutes of her life. Outside,
Patricia and the President hug and comfort each other.

On July 4, David devises a plan to use the repaired attacker to gain access to the interior of the
mothership in order to introduce a computer virus and plant a nuclear bomb. It is hoped that this
will cause the shields of the Earth-based alien craft to fail long enough for a worldwide attack to
eliminate them. Hiller volunteers to be the mission's pilot- reasoning that he is the only person to
have seen these ships in action and survived, thus giving him unique knowledge of what the ship
is capable of-, with David accompanying him to upload the virus. With few pilots to man
available aircraft, the battle requires volunteers, including Whitmore and Casse, who have
previous combat flight experience. Morse code is used to contact forces around the world in
order to coordinate the attack.

After the virus is implanted and lowers the shields, Whitmore leads an attack against a destroyer
approaching Area 51. Although the fighters can now damage the alien ship, their supply of
missiles are exhausted against the craft's large complement of attackers while its sheer size
makes missiles relatively ineffectual against it directly, and the destroyer prepares to fire its main
weapon at the base. Casse possesses the last remaining missile, but his firing mechanism jams.
He pilots his aircraft into the center of the alien weapon in a suicide attack, causing a chain
reaction which destroys the alien ship.

Simultaneously, other forces around the world are able to destroy the remaining destroyers.
David and Hiller escape the mothership just as it is destroyed by the nuclear bomb, and the duo
crash land near Area 51. The world celebrates, and the main characters watch debris from the
mothership enter the atmosphere.

[edit] Cast
• Will Smith as Captain Steven Hiller, an assured United States Marine Corps F/A-18 pilot.
Devlin and Emmerich had always envisioned an African-American for the role,[5] and
specifically wanted Smith after seeing his performance in Six Degrees of Separation.[6]
• Jeff Goldblum as David Levinson: An MIT-educated computer expert, chess enthusiast
and environmentalist, working as a satellite technician in New York City.
• Bill Pullman as President Thomas J. Whitmore: A former Persian Gulf War fighter pilot
and current President of the United States.
• Margaret Colin as Constance Spano: The White House Communications Director and
David's ex-wife.
• Robert Loggia as General William Grey: A United States Marine Corps general who is
the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and one of President Whitmore's most trusted
advisors.
• Randy Quaid as Russell Casse: A widowed, alcoholic crop duster and veteran Vietnam
War pilot who claims to have been an alien abductee ten years prior to the events of the
film.
• James Duval as Miguel Casse, Russell's eldest son.
• Judd Hirsch as Julius Levinson: David Levinson's father. The character was based on one
of Devlin's uncles.[7]
• Mary McDonnell as Marilyn Whitmore: President Whitmore's wife - the First Lady.
• Vivica A. Fox as Jasmine Dubrow: A single mother, Hiller's girlfriend and exotic dancer.
• James Rebhorn as Albert Nimzicki: The Secretary of Defense and former director of the
CIA.
• Harvey Fierstein as Marty Gilbert: David's boss.
• Adam Baldwin as Major Mitchell: A United States Air Force officer and the
commanding officer at Area 51.
• Brent Spiner as Dr. Brackish Okun: The unkempt and highly excitable scientist in charge
of research at Area 51.
• Harry Connick, Jr. as Captain Jimmy Wilder: Steve's best friend and fellow pilot.
• Kiersten Warren as Tiffany: Jasmine's exotic dancer friend.
• Mae Whitman as Patricia, the President's daughter. She is called 'Munchkin' by her
parents.

[edit] Production
F/A-18 Hornets of VMFA-314, "Black Knights"

The idea for the film came when Emmerich and Devlin were in Europe promoting their film
Stargate. A reporter asked Emmerich why he made a movie with content like Stargate if he did
not believe in aliens. Emmerich stated he was still fascinated by the idea of an alien arrival, and
further explained his response by asking the reporter to imagine what it would be like to wake up
one morning and discover 15-mile-wide spaceships were hovering over the largest cities in the
world. Emmerich then turned to Devlin and said "I think I have an idea for our next film."[7][8][9]

Emmerich and Devlin decided to expand on the idea by incorporating a large-scale attack, with
Devlin saying he was bothered by the fact that "for the most part, in alien invasion movies, they
come down to Earth and they're hidden in some back field ...[o]r they arrive in little spores and
inject themselves into the back of someone's head."[10] Emmerich agreed by asking Devlin if
arriving from across the galaxy, "would you hide on a farm or would you make a big
entrance?"[10] The two wrote the script during a month-long vacation in Mexico,[8] and just one
day after they sent it out for consideration, 20th Century Fox chairman Peter Chernin greenlit the
screenplay.[11] Pre-production began just three days later in February 1995.[7][8] The United States
military originally intended to provide personnel, vehicles, and costumes for the film; however,
they backed out when the producers refused to remove the Area 51 references from the script.[7]

A then-record 3,000-plus special effects shots would ultimately be required for the film.[9] The
shoot utilized on-set, in-camera special effects more often than computer-generated effects in an
effort to save money and get more authentic pyrotechnic results.[7] Many of these shots were
accomplished at Hughes Aircraft in Culver City, California, where the film's art department,
motion control photography teams, pyrotechnics team, and model shop were headquartered. The
production's model-making department built more than twice as many miniatures for the
production than had ever been built for any film before by creating miniatures for buildings, city
streets, aircraft, landmarks, and monuments.[12] The crew also built miniatures for several of the
spaceships featured in the movie, including a 30-foot (9.1 m) destroyer model[13] and a version of
the mother ship spanning 12 feet (3.7 m).[14] City streets were recreated, then tilted upright
beneath a high-speed camera mounted on a scaffolding filming downwards. An explosion would
be ignited below the model, and flames would rise towards the camera, engulfing the tilted
model and creating the rolling "wall of destruction" look seen in the film.[15] A model of the
White House was also created, covering 10 feet (3.0 m) by 5 feet (1.5 m), and was used in
forced-perspective shots before being destroyed in a similar fashion for its own destruction
scene.[16] The detonation took a week to plan[11] and required 40 explosive charges.[16]
A World War II training aircraft with a camera mounted on its front navigated through the walls
of the Little Colorado River canyon, and the footage was used as pilot point-of-view shots.[17]

The aliens in the film were designed by production designer Patrick Tatopoulos. The actual
aliens of the film are diminutive and based on a design Tatopoulos drew when tasked by
Emmerich to create an alien that was "both familiar and completely original".[18] These creatures
wear "bio-mechanical" suits that are based on another design Tatopoulos pitched to Emmerich.
These suits were 8 feet (2.4 m) tall, equipped with 25 tentacles, and purposely designed to show
it could not sustain a person inside so it would not appear to be a "man in a suit".[19]

Principal photography began in July 1995 in New York City. A second unit gathered plate shots
and establishing shots of Manhattan, Washington D.C., an RV community in Flagstaff, Arizona,
and the Very Large Array on the Plains of San Agustin, New Mexico.[19] The main crew also
filmed in nearby Cliffside Park, New Jersey before moving to the former Kaiser Steel mill in
Fontana, California to film the post-attack Los Angeles sequences.[20] The production then moved
to Wendover, Utah and West Wendover, Nevada,[21] where the deserts doubled for Imperial
Valley and the Wendover Airport doubled for the El Toro and Area 51 exteriors.[22] It was here
where Pullman filmed his pre-battle speech. Immediately before filming the scene, Devlin and
Pullman decided to add "Today, we celebrate our Independence Day!" to the end of the speech.
At the time, the production was nicknamed "ID4" because Warner Bros. owned the rights to the
title Independence Day, and Devlin had hoped if Fox executives noticed the addition in dailies,
the impact of the new dialogue would help them win the rights to the title.[7] The right to use the
title was eventually won two weeks later.[11]

The production team moved to the Bonneville Salt Flats to film three scenes, then returned to
California to film in various places around Los Angeles, including Hughes Aircraft where sets
for the cable company and Area 51 interiors were constructed at a former aircraft plant. Sets for
the latter included corridors containing windows that were covered with blue material. The
filmmakers originally intended to use the chroma key technique to make it appear as if activity
was happening on the other side of the glass; but the composited images were not added to the
final print because production designers decided the blue panels gave the sets a "clinical look".[23]
The attacker hangar set contained an attacker mock-up 65 feet (20 m) wide[12] that took four
months to build.[11] The White House interior sets used had already been built for The American
President and had previously been used for Nixon.[16] Principal photography completed on
November 3, 1995.[11]

The movie originally depicted Russell Casse being rejected as a volunteer for the July 4 aerial
counteroffensive because of his alcoholism. He then uses a stolen missile tied to his red biplane
to carry out his suicide mission. According to Dean Devlin, test audiences responded well to the
scene's irony and comedic value.[7] However, the scene was re-shot to include Russell's
acceptance as a volunteer, his crash course in modern fighter aircraft, and him flying an F-18
instead of the biplane. Devlin preferred the alteration because the viewer now witnesses Russell
ultimately making the decision to sacrifice his life,[7] and seeing the biplane keeping pace and
flying amongst F-18s was "just not believable".[24] The film was officially completed on June 20,
1996.[11]

[edit] Distribution
While the film was still in post-production, 20th Century Fox began a massive marketing
campaign to help promote the film, beginning with the airing of a dramatic commercial during
Super Bowl XXX, for which Fox paid $1.3 million.[25] The subsequent success of the film at the
box office resulted in the trend of using Super Bowl air time to kick off the advertising campaign
for potential blockbusters.[26][27]

Fox's Licensing and Merchandising division also entered into co-promotional deals with Apple
Inc. The co-marketing project was dubbed "The Power to Save the World" campaign, in which
the company used footage of David using his PowerBook laptop in their print and television
advertisements.[28] Trendmasters entered a merchandising deal with the film's producers to create
a line of tie-in toys.[29] In exchange for product placement, Fox also entered into co-promotional
deals with Molson Coors Brewing Company and Coca-Cola.[30]

The movie was marketed with several taglines, including: "We've always believed we weren't
alone. On July 4, we'll wish we were", "Earth. Take a good look. It could be your last", and
"Don't make plans for August". The weekend before the film's release, the Fox Network aired a
half-hour special on the movie, the first third of which was a spoof news report on the events that
happen in the film. Roger Ebert attributed most of the film's early success to its teaser trailers
and marketing campaigns, acknowledging them as "truly brilliant".[31]

The shot of the White House's destruction was the focus of the film's marketing campaign. A
fleeing helicopter was added to the shot in the final print.

The film had its official premiere held at the now-defunct Mann Plaza Theater in Los Angeles on
June 25, 1996.[32] It was then screened privately at the White House for President Bill Clinton
and his family[33] before receiving a nationwide release in the United States on July 2, 1996, a
day earlier than its previously scheduled opening.[34]

After a six-week, $30 million marketing campaign, Independence Day was released on VHS on
November 22, 1996.[35] It became available on DVD on June 27, 2000, and has been re-released
on DVD under several different versions with varying supplemental material ever since,
including one instance where it was packaged with a lenticular cover.[36] Often accessible on
these versions is a special edition of the film, which features eight minutes of additional footage
not seen in the original theatrical release.[37] Independence Day became available on Blu-ray
discs in the United Kingdom on December 24, 2007,[38] and in North America on March 11,
2008.[39] The Blu-ray edition does not include the deleted scenes.

Since the turn of the 21st century, Fox's television networks have held exclusive United States
television rights to the movie.[citation needed] When the Fox television network airs Independence
Day, it is usually aired in February, normally opposite the Super Bowl or the Academy Awards,
although at least once it has aired following the network's Daytona 500 coverage.[citation needed] The
2002 broadcast of the movie was the first to air in high-definition.[citation needed] In addition, the FX
and ABC Family (formerly Fox Family) cable networks have also aired this movie.[citation needed]

[edit] In other media

[edit] Books

Author Stephen Molstad wrote a tie-in novel to help promote the film shortly before its release.
The novel goes into further detail on the characters, situations, and overall concept not explored
in the film. The novel presents the finale of the film as originally scripted, with the character
played by Randy Quaid stealing a missile and roping it to his crop duster biplane.

Following the success of the film, a prequel novel entitled Independence Day: Silent Zone was
written by Molstad in February 1998.[40] The novel is set in the late 1960s and early 1970s, and
details the early career of Dr. Brackish Okun.[41]

Molstad wrote a third novel, Independence Day: War in the Desert in July 1999. The novel is
both a midquel and sequel to the film. Set in Saudi Arabia on July 3, it centers around Captain
Cummins and Colonel Thompson, the two Royal Air Force officers seen receiving the Morse
code message in the film.

[edit] Radio

On August 4, 1996, BBC Radio 1 broadcast the one-hour play Independence Day UK, written,
produced, and directed by Dirk Maggs, a spin-off depicting the alien invasion from a British
perspective.[42] None of the original cast was present. Dean Devlin gave Maggs permission to
produce an original version, on condition he did not reveal certain details of the movie's plot and
the British were not depicted as saving the day.[42] Independence Day UK was set up to be similar
to the 1938 radio broadcast of The War Of The Worlds; the first 20 minutes were set as being
live.[42]

[edit] Computer games

An Independence Day video game was released in February 1997 for the PlayStation, Sega
Saturn, and PC, each version receiving mostly tepid reviews.[43][44] The multi-view shooter game
contains various missions to perform, with the ultimate goal of destroying the aliens' primary
weapon. A wireless mobile version was released in 2005. A computer game entitled ID4 Online
was released in 2000.
[edit] Reception
[edit] Commercial

One of the film's creatures on the cover of the July 8, 1996 issue of Time.

Independence Day was the highest-grossing film of 1996.[1] In the United States, Independence
Day earned $104.3 million in its first full week,[45] including $96.1 million during its five-day
holiday opening, and $50.2 million during its opening weekend.[46] All three figures broke
records set by Jurassic Park three years earlier.[45] That film's sequel, The Lost World: Jurassic
Park, claimed all three records when it was released the following year. Independence Day
stayed in the number one spot for three weeks, and would gross $306,169,268 in the domestic
market[1] and $510,800,000 in foreign markets during its theatrical run.[1] The combined total of
$816,969,268 once trailed only the worldwide earnings of Jurassic Park as the highest of all-
time.[47] It has been surpassed by several 21st century films since, and currently holds the 26th
highest worldwide gross for a movie all-time. Hoping to capitalize in the wake of the film's
success, several studios released more large-scale disaster films,[48] and the already rising interest
in science fiction-related media was further increased by the film's popularity.[33]

A month after the film's release, jewelry designers and marketing consultants reported an
increased interest in dolphin-themed jewelry, since the character of Jasmine in the film wears
dolphin earrings and is presented with a wedding ring featuring a gold dolphin.[49]

[edit] Critical

The reviews of the movie were mixed. Independence Day is ranked as "fresh" on Rotten
Tomatoes with a 61% positive rating, with 33 out of 54 critics giving it positive reviews.[50] It has
a metascore of 59 (based on 18 reviews) on Metacritic.[51] Critics acknowledged the film had
"cardboard" and "stereotypical" characters,[5][34][52][53][54] and weak dialogue.[48][54][55][56] The shot of
the White House's destruction has been declared a milestone in visual effects and one of the most
memorable scenes of the 1990s.[57][58]

Mick LaSalle of the San Francisco Chronicle gave the film his highest rating, declaring it the
"apotheosis" of Star Wars.[34] Lisa Schwarzbaum of Entertainment Weekly gave it a B+ for living
up to its massive hype, adding "charm is the foremost of this epic's contemporary characteristics.
The script is witty, knowing, cool."[53] Eight years later, Entertainment Weekly would rate the
movie as one of the best disaster movies of all-time.[48] Kenneth Turan of the Los Angeles Times
felt that the movie did an "excellent job conveying the boggling immensity of [the]
extraterrestrial vehicles [...] and panic in the streets" and the scenes of the alien attack were
"disturbing, unsettling and completely convincing".[5]

The nationalistic overtones of the film were widely criticized by reviewers outside the USA.
Movie Review UK described the film as "A mish-mash of elements from a wide variety of alien
invasion movies and gung-ho American jingoism."[59] The speech in which Whitmore states that
victory in the coming war would see the entire world henceforth describe July 4 as its
independence day, was described as "the most jaw-droppingly pompous soliloquy ever delivered
in a mainstream Hollywood movie" in a BBC review.[60] In 2003, readers of the United
Kingdom's most popular movie magazine Empire voted the scene that contained the speech as
the "Cheesiest Movie Moment of All-Time".[61] Conversely, Empire critic Kim Newman gave the
film a five-star rating in the magazine's original review of the film.[51]

Several prominent critics expressed disappointment with the quality of Independence Day's
much-hyped special effects. Newsweek's David Ansen claimed the special effects were of no
better caliber than those seen nineteen years earlier in Star Wars.[54] Todd McCarthy of Variety
felt the production's budget-conscious approach resulted in "cheesy" shots that lacked in quality
relative to the effects present in films directed by James Cameron and Steven Spielberg.[32] Roger
Ebert cited a lack of imagination in the spaceship and creature designs as one of the reasons for
his marginally negative review,[62] and Gene Siskel expressed the same sentiments in their on-air
review of the movie.[31]

Despite this, the movie won the Academy Award for Visual Effects,[63] beating Twister and
Dragonheart. It was also nominated for an Academy Award for Best Sound but lost to The
English Patient.[64] Composer David Arnold won a Grammy Award for his work on the film.[65]
The movie also won an Amanda Award for Best Foreign Feature Film.[63] Viewers voted for
Independence Day to receive an MTV Movie Award for Best Kiss,[66] a People's Choice Award
for Favorite Dramatic Motion Picture,[67] and a Kids' Choice Award for Favorite Movie. It
received Saturn Awards for Best Director, Best Science Fiction Film, and Best Special Effects.[68]
The film was awarded Best Film Editing and Best Visual Effects at the inaugural Golden
Satellite Award ceremony. The film received a Golden Raspberry nomination in 1996 for Worst
Written Film Grossing Over $100 million but lost to Twister.[63]

[edit] Sequel(s)
The possibility of a sequel had long been discussed,[69] and Devlin once stated the world's
reaction to the September 11 attacks influenced him to strongly consider making a sequel to the
film.[70][71] Devlin began writing an outline for a script with Emmerich,[72] but in May 2004,
Emmerich said he and Devlin had attempted to "figure out a way how to continue the story", but
that this ultimately did not work, and the pair abandoned the idea.[73]

In October 2009, Emmerich said he once again had plans for a sequel,[74] and has since
considered the idea of making two sequels to form a trilogy.[75][76]

Khuda Kay Liye (Urdu: ‫خدا ک ے لی ے‬, literal English translation: "For God's sake") is a 2007
Pakistani Urdu-language drama film written, directed and produced by Shoaib Mansoor, starring
Shaan, Iman Ali, Fawad Afzal Khan and Hameed Sheikh. Naseeruddin Shah, an Indian actor
known for his performances in Indian parallel cinema and theater also appears in the film.

Most of the film was shot on locations in Chicago, Lahore and the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
province of Pakistan. Produced by Geo TV, Khuda Kay Liye was theatrically released in Pakistan
on July 20, 2007, and grossed over $10 million worldwide. Critical response of the film was
generally positive, with some religious conservatives criticizing the film and called for a ban in
Pakistan. Overall, there was a tremendous curiosity around the film due to the presence of big
names and resulted in a grand opening and the film turned out to be a huge commercial as well
as a critical success in Pakistan and also in neighboring country, India.

Contents
[hide]

• 1 Plot
• 2 Cast
• 3 Release and reception
• 4 Music
o 4.1 Track listing
o 4.2 Personnel
• 5 Awards and Accolades
• 6 See also
• 7 References

• 8 External links

[edit] Plot
Three different people from different continents have problems that relate to on going issues and
Islam.

Two brothers who are both singers, Mansoor (Shaan) and Sarmad (Fawad), become the best
singers in Lahore. Sarmad becomes influenced by an Islamic activist. He begins to practice the
extremist interpretation of Islam, grows a beard and goes against music, also putting pressure on
his free-spirited family to comply. Those parties interpret certain verses of the Quran and Hadith
(Islamic religious texts) to call for a ban on music and pictures.

In England, a girl Mary/Mariam (played by actor-model Iman Ali) is a westernized girl in love
with a guy name Dave. Her hypocritical father disapproves, despite the fact that he is living with
a British woman to whom he is not married. He tells Mary that they are going to Pakistan for a
trip and that once they return she can marry Dave. This, however is a trap. While touring FATA,
he has her forcibly married to Sarmad, who is her cousin. Mary is then abandoned in FATA at
her new household.

Meanwhile, Mansoor goes to music school in Chicago. There, he meets a girl called Janie and
instantly falls in love with her. She quits alcohol for him, and they eventually get married. After
9/11, FBI officers capture him when someone overhears a drunk man accusing Mansoor of being
a terrorist. Subsequently, he is tortured for a year in custody just because of his Islamic
background.

Meanwhile, Mary manages to run away, but is caught by Sarmad in the process. She is kept
under strict supervision and due to this incident, Sarmad eventually consummates their marriage
by force. She doesn't lose hope, managing to sneak a letter to Dave under the guise of writing to
her father. Mansoor and Sarmad's parents finally come to her rescue under the protection of the
British Government, but Mary, driven by vengeance, then takes her father and cousin to court in
Pakistan. There, a Maulana (Naseeruddin Shah) explains to the court how Islam is being
butchered in the name of war and hatred, bringing the religion forward in a believable and
peaceful manner.

Traumatized by all the suffering he has seen and caused, Sarmad withdraws from the case. He
also realizes the damage that he was made to do in the name of religion. Mary is now free, but
decides to return to the village where she was kept prisoner, so she can educate the girls there.
Meanwhile, Mansoor is still in U.S. custody after a year of torment; the last torture session
having inflicted permanent brain damage. After a failed rehab attempt, he is deported and
reunited with his family in Pakistan where, thanks to the hope of his family, he begins to slowly
recover.

[edit] Cast
• Shaan as Mansoor
• Fawad Afzal Khan as Sarmad
• Iman Ali as Maryam/Mary
• Naseeruddin Shah as Maulana Wali
• Austin Marie Sayre as Janie
• Rasheed Naz as Maulana Tahiri
• Simi Raheal as Mother of Mansoor and Sarmad
• Hameed Sheikh as Sher Shah

[edit] Release and reception

Khuda Kay Liye was released on July 20, 2007.

It is important to note that this is one of very few, if any, independent motion pictures to be
released to a cinema-going Pakistani market. The general trend in local cinema revolves around
formulaic song and dance numbers, reminiscent of Lollywood musicals. Independent films, or
films that break this formula, are rare if not entirely absent.

Khuda Kay Liye was produced in conjunction with the film division of the popular TV network,
Geo TV of Pakistan.[5][6]

The film opened to overwhelmingly positive reviews. There was tremendous curiosity around
the film. Presence of big names and Naseeruddin Shah resulted in a grand opening and the film
turned out to be a huge commercial as well as critical success in Pakistan. Also, in India the film
was critically lauded as people flocked to see the source of the criticism.

Some religious conservatives in Pakistan have criticized the film and called for its ban.

[edit] Music
Khuda Kay Liye

Soundtrack album by Various Artists

Released July 7, 2007
2006-2007 at Gravity Studios in Chicago,
Recorded
Illinois, United States
Genre Film soundtrack
Republic Music Group, Huqa
Label
Entertainment Corp, Sony BMG
Producer Kami Jee, Rohail Hyatt
Professional reviews
• Allmusic link
• Indiatimes link
 • The News International link

• Bollywood Hungama link

Khuday Kay Liye OST is a soundtrack album to Sohaib Mansoor's film Khuday Kay Liye. It was
released on July 7, 2007. The soundtrack is also available on the film's official website. The
soundtrack album of the film was composed and produced by Rohail Hyatt. All songs were
written by Shoaib Mansoor with an exception of "Mahi Way" and "Bandeya". The OST was
recorded at Gravity Studios in Chicago by Kamijee.

The soundtrack album was a huge success in Pakistan and received positive reviews from the
critics. "Bandeya-II" by Khawar Jawad and Faiza Mujahid was a major success in Pakistan,
charting at top on almost every local music channel. Other successful hits from the soundtrack
included "Janie Janie" by Lagan, "Allah Hoo" by Saeen Zahoor and "Hamaray Hain" by Ahmed
Jahanzeb and Shuja Haider.

[edit] Track listing

The music is composed and arranged by Rohail Hyatt and Kamijee.

No. Title Writer(s) Artist Length

1. "Duniya Ho" Ahmed Jahanzeb; Shuja
Shoaib Mansoor 3:57
Haider
2. "Hamaray Hain" Ahmed Jahanzeb; Shuja
Shoaib Mansoor 3:49
Haider
3. "Bandeya-I" Khawar Jawad; Farah
Bulleh Shah 3:38
Zalah
4. "Tiluk Kamod" Ahmed Jahanzeb 4:37
5. "Janie Janie" Ahmed Jahanzeb; Lagan
Shoaib Mansoor 6:01
the Band
6. "Allah Hoo" Saeen Zahoor; Zara
Madani
7. "Mahi Way" Khawar Jawad; Faiza
Faiza Mujahid 3:10
Mujahid
8. "Khuda Ke Liye" Shoaib Mansoor Ammar Hassan 3:33
9. "Bandeya-II" Khawar Jawad; Faiza
Bulleh Shah 3:34
Mujahid

[edit] Personnel

• Background Music: Rohail Hayat

• Vocals: Ahmed Jahanzeb, Shuja Haider, Farah Zala, Ammar Hassan, Khawar Jawad,
Faiza Mujahid, Saeen Zahoor, and Zara Madani.[citation needed]
• Lyrics: Shoaib Mansoor, Bulleh Shah, Faiza Mujahid
• Compositions: Ahmad Jahanzeb, Shuja Haider, Lagan The Band, Khawar Jawad, Javed
Bashir, Amar, Kamijee
[edit] Awards and Accolades
Khuda Kay Liye is the second highest grossing film of Pakistan of all time with a gross of over
$10 million.[7] Iman Ali makes her cinematic debut with this film, playing an Anglo-Pakistani.
Shaan's wife is played by Austin Sayre. Ahmed Jahanzeb and Shuja Haider produced the film's
soundtrack. The film has won the following awards since its release:

2008 Lux Style Awards

• Best Film
• Best Actor - Shaan
• Best Actress - Iman Ali
• Best Soundtrack

31st Cairo International Film Festival [7]

• Silver Pyramid Award for Best Picture

Roberto Rossellini Award (Italian film industry) [7]

• Best Film

Fukuoka Audience Award (Japan) [8]

• Best Film

Asian Festival of First Films [9]

• Swarovski Trophy for Best Cinematography