Children of Men (film)

Children of Men
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Alfonso Cuarón
Produced by	Hilary Shor Iain Smith Tony Smith Marc Abraham Eric Newman
Screenplay by	Alfonso Cuarón Timothy J. Sexton David Arata Mark Fergus Hawk Ostby
Based on	The Children of Men by P. D. James
Starring	Clive Owen Julianne Moore Clare-Hope Ashitey Michael Caine Chiwetel Ejiofor Charlie Hunnam
Music by	John Tavener
Cinematography	Emmanuel Lubezki
Edited by	Alex Rodríguez Alfonso Cuarón
Production companies	Strike Entertainment Hit and Run Productions
Distributed by	Universal Pictures
Release date	3 September 2006 (2006-09-03) (Venice) 22 September 2006 (2006-09-22) (United Kingdom) 25 December 2006 (2006-12-25) (United States)
Running time	109 minutes
Country	United Kingdom United States
Language	English
Budget	$76 million
Box office	$70 million

Children of Men is a 2006 British-American dystopian science fiction thriller film directed and co-written by Alfonso Cuarón. The screenplay, based on P. D. James' 1992 novel of the same name, was credited to five writers, with Clive Owen making uncredited contributions. The film takes place in 2027, where two decades of human infertility have left society on the brink of collapse. Illegal immigrants seek sanctuary in the United Kingdom, where the last functioning government imposes oppressive immigration laws on refugees. Owen plays civil servant Theo Faron, who must help a refugee (Clare-Hope Ashitey) escape the chaos. Children of Men also stars Julianne Moore, Michael Caine, Chiwetel Ejiofor, and Charlie Hunnam.

A co-production of the United Kingdom and the United States, the film was released on 22 September 2006 in the UK and on 25 December in the U.S. Critics noted the relationship between the U.S. Christmas opening and the film's themes of hope, redemption, and faith. Despite the limited release and low earnings at the box office compared to its budget, Children of Men received wide critical acclaim and was recognised for its achievements in screenwriting, cinematography, art direction, and innovative single-shot action sequences. It was nominated for three Academy Awards: Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Cinematography and Best Film Editing. It was also nominated for three BAFTA Awards, winning Best Cinematography and Best Production Design, and for three Saturn Awards, winning Best Science Fiction Film.