Born Into Brothels (2004)
94%RT Audience Score: 91%
Awards & Nominations: Won 1 Oscar
21 wins & 5 nominations total
A powerful and uplifting documentary.
Born Into Brothels is a documentary that follows the lives of children born into the sex trade in Calcutta, India. While some critics found the film to be manipulative, others praised it for its empowering message and inspiring story. As a casual viewer, I found myself both heartbroken and uplifted by the children’s resilience and creativity. The film’s use of photography as a means of self-expression was particularly moving, and I couldn’t help but feel a sense of hope for their futures. Overall, Born Into Brothels is a powerful reminder of the strength of the human spirit in the face of adversity.
Production Company(ies)
Red Light Films, HBO, Cinemax Documentary Creative Visions
Distributor
ThinkFilm
Release Type
Filming Location(s)
Calcutta, West Bengal, India
MPAA / Certificate
Rated R for some sequences of strong language
Year of Release
2005
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Color:Color
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Sound mix:Dolby Digital
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Aspect ratio:1.37 : 1 (original negative)1.85 : 1
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Runtime:1h 25m
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Language(s):Bengali, English
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Country of origin:United States
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Release date:Release Date (Theaters): Jan 18, 2004 Original
Release Date (Streaming): Sep 20, 2005
Genre(s)
Documentary/Biography
Keyword(s)
Born into Brothels, documentary, biography, Zana Briski, Ross Kauffman, directed by Zana Briski, directed by Ross Kauffman, written by Ross Kauffman, written by Zana Briski, starring Avijit Halder, starring Shanti Das, produced by Zana Briski, produced by Ross Kauffman, reviewed by Richard Porton, reviewed by Steven D Greydanus, reviewed by Marjorie Baumgarten, reviewed by Richard Nilsen, reviewed by Roger Moore, reviewed by Rene Rodriguez, reviewed by Richard Propes, reviewed by Jay Antani, reviewed by Beth Accomando, reviewed by Jeffrey Overstreet, reviewed by Kam Williams, R rated, documentary photographer, Calcutta, prostitutes, photography, children, poverty, Academy Award, box office, $3.4M
Worldwide gross: $3,529,201
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $5,378,443
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 2,151
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 586,526
US/Canada gross: $3,515,061
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): $5,356,894
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 1,783
US/Canada opening weekend: $14,605
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): $22,258
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): 2,476
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): NA
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): NA
Production budget ranking: NA
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): NA
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): NA
ROI to date (est.): NA
ROI ranking: NA
Shanti Das – self
Zana Briski – Director, Producer, Writer
Ross Kauffman – Director, Writer, Producer
Director(s)
Zana Briski, Ross Kauffman
Writer(s)
Ross Kauffman, Zana Briski
Producer(s)
Zana Briski, Ross Kauffman
Film Festivals
Awards & Nominations
Won 1 Oscar
21 wins & 5 nominations total
Academy Awards
All Critics (108) | Top Critics (36) | Fresh (103) | Rotten (5)
Zana Briski and Ross Kauffman’s Born Into Brothels is both sustained and ultimately sunk by its lofty intentions.
September 29, 2017
Richard Porton
Chicago Reader
TOP CRITIC
Briski doesn’t merely document the children’s milieu. Instead, she does something revolutionary: She empowers them to document it for themselves.
April 4, 2005 | Rating: A-
Steven D. Greydanus
Decent Films
TOP CRITIC
A devastating portrait of impoverished Calcutta children who are born into the sex trades, yet the film is also an inspiring document about human possibilities and the need to strive despite impossible odds.
March 27, 2005 | Rating: 4/5
Marjorie Baumgarten
Austin Chronicle
TOP CRITIC
One feels manipulated rather than enlightened.
March 11, 2005 | Rating: 3/5
Richard Nilsen
Arizona Republic
TOP CRITIC
A beautifully made essay on a filmmaker’s efforts to teach the children of Calcutta’s prostitutes the fine art of photography.
March 11, 2005 | Rating: 4/5
Roger Moore
Orlando Sentinel
TOP CRITIC
The film says all it needs to say through the photos of the kids and their excited, wide-eyed reactions when they realize the outside world is paying attention to them.
March 11, 2005 | Rating: 3/4
Rene Rodriguez
Miami Herald
TOP CRITIC
A reminder of the power of the documentary to educate, inspire and share openly and honestly the world that surrounds us.
September 4, 2020 | Rating: 3.5/4.0
Richard Propes
TheIndependentCritic.com
an absorbing journey over gritty social terrain, driven by a fierce sense of purpose
January 20, 2012 | Rating: 3.5/4
Jay Antani
Cinema Writer
This bond of trust between the filmmakers and their subjects exemplifies the kind of personal involvement that many documentary makers are striving for these days.
June 8, 2008
Beth Accomando
KPBS.org
As bright as a box of new crayons, and just as full of creative potential, these children give us vibrant pictures of hope in the midst of oppression.
September 20, 2007 | Rating: A+
Jeffrey Overstreet
Looking Closer
In the end, you can’t help but wonder exactly what it was you’ve just seen. A hard-hitting exposé? Voyeuristic slumming? A true tale of triumph, against all odds? A self-aggrandizing, vanity biopic? Some new type of reality film?Perhaps all of the above.
June 20, 2007 | Rating: 4/4
Kam Williams
Princeton Town Topics
Profundamente comovente e trágico, apesar de suas óbvias falhas estruturais e %u2013 o mais grave %u2013 de pisar em um terreno instável em seu aspecto ético.
January 10, 2006 | Rating: 4/5
Pablo Villaça
Cinema em Cena…
Plot
Born Into Brothels is a documentary about a photographer who teaches the children of Calcutta’s prostitutes the basics of photography so that they can document their own lives on the streets of one of the world’s poorest cities.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
Nothing goofy, funny, or odd is said about the film or anyone in the cast.
Zana-Briski.jpg
