West Is West

"Same family. Different country. A lot more baggage."

2010 1h 43m EN

😐

6.4

MID

★6.4TMDB · 44

Comedy

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Salford, North of England, 1976. The now much diminished, but still dysfunctional, Khan family continues to struggle for survival. Sajid, the youngest Khan is deep in pubescent crisis under heavy assault both from his father's tyrannical insistence on Pakistani tradition, and from the fierce bullies in the schoolyard. So, in a last, desperate attempt to 'sort him out', his father decides to pack him off to Mrs Khan No 1 and family in the Punjab, the wife and daughters he had abandoned 35 years earlier.

“Same family. Different country. A lot more baggage.”

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Cast

Aqib Khan
Sajid Khan
Om Puri
George Khan
Linda Bassett
Ella Khan
Robert Pugh
Mr. Jordan
Jimi Mistry
Tariq Khan
Vanessa Hehir
Esther
Lesley Nicol
Auntie Annie
Zita Sattar

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Andy De Emmony
Writers: Ayub Khan-Din
Languages: English, Punjabi
Countries: United Kingdom, United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Shot for just $3.8M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Released 16 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 2 languages: English, Punjabi.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

International production across 2 countries: United Kingdom, United States of America.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

CINEMA

Did you know

Part of the "East Is East Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Andy De Emmony, shot by Peter Robertson. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Rob Lane. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Jon Gregory shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Andy De Emmony directs. Peter Robertson behind the camera. Rob Lane scores. Jon Gregory cuts. Profitable at the box office. Produced in United Kingdom, United States of America. Dialogue in English, Punjabi.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Shot for just $3.8M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.
2Released 16 years ago.
3Dialogue crosses 2 languages: English, Punjabi.
4International production across 2 countries: United Kingdom, United States of America.
5Part of the "East Is East Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.
6Directed by Andy De Emmony, shot by Peter Robertson. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
7Original score by Rob Lane. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
8Editor Jon Gregory shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
9Aqib Khan and Om Puri and Linda Bassett carry the top of the cast.
10Marketing tagline: "Same family. Different country. A lot more baggage.".
11IMDB entry: tt1441956 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
12Only 44 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

The technical file

Cinematography: Peter Robertson
Original score: Rob Lane
Editing: Jon Gregory
Production design: Tom Conroy
Costume design: Louise Stjernsward
Makeup / hair: Luize Joyce Margaret
Runtime: 103 min · 1h 43m
Status: Released
Budget: $3,837,625
Box office: $3,867,000
Return: 101% of budget
Original language: EN
IMDB: West Is West (2010)

Part of

East Is East Collection

East is East Collection

Also by

Andy De Emmony

Production companies

Who made it

BBC Film
GB
AS
Assassin Films
GB
Icon Productions
US

Key crew

ProducerLeslee Udwin
EditorJon Gregory
Costume DesignLouise Stjernsward
HairstylistLuize Joyce Margaret
Makeup ArtistFelicity Wright
Art DirectionShital Kanvinde
Executive ProducerShaana Levy
Production DesignTom Conroy
Art DirectionKaty Tuxford
Executive ProducerKim Rømer
Makeup ArtistPenny Smith
Executive ProducerJane Wright
Production DesignAradhana Seth
CastingAnji Carroll
Art DirectionPradip Redij
Costume DesignSandeep Kumar
Playback SingerSain Zahoor

Themes & keywords

What it's about, really

dysfunctional family

Release history · US

When it landed

Theatrical (limited)2010-11-02· South Asian International Film Festival
Theatrical (limited)2011-03-10· San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival