Two of the actors (Riz Ahmed and Farhad Harun) and two of the ex-detainees were detained temporary and interrogated at the airport by the British police when they returned from the Berlinale-festival where the movie got the Silver Bear. According to BBC-news Ahmed said he was asked if he intended to make any more political films.
Premiered at the Berlinale in February 2006. Michael Winterbottom won Best Director at the festival.
The scenes of torture had to be actually toned down from what really took place. For instance, the actors had to have cushioning inserted into their shackles as they spent so much time in them. And they were unable to remain in the stress positions for more than an hour, unlike in real life in which the Tipton Three would often spend up to 8 hours.
Co-director Mat Whitecross spent a month living with the newly-released Tipton Three to get to know them better and get the facts straight.
This had its first showing in its native UK when it was aired on Channel 4 on 9 March 2006, attracting over 1.6 million viewers. The following day it was released to cinemas, DVD and streaming.