Children of Men is a 2006 dystopian action thriller film co-written and directed by Alfonso Cuarón. The screenplay, based on P. D. James' 1992 novel The Children of Men, was credited to five writers, with Clive Owen making uncredited contributions. The film takes place in 2027, when two decades of human infertility have left society on the brink of collapse. Asylum seekers seek sanctuary in the United Kingdom, where they are subjected to detention and refoulement by the government. Owen plays civil servant Theo Faron, who must help refugee Kee (Clare-Hope Ashitey) escape the chaos. Children of Men also stars Julianne Moore, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Pam Ferris, Charlie Hunnam, and Michael Caine. The film was released by Universal Pictures on 22 September, 2006, in the UK and on 25 December in the US. Critics noted the relationship between the US' Christmas opening and the film's themes of hope, redemption, and faith. Despite the limited release and lack of any clear marketing strategy during awards season by the film's distributor, Children of Men received 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. In 2016 it was voted 13th among 100 films considered the best of the 21st century by 117 film critics from around the world. Plot In the year 2027, after eighteen years of total human infertility, war and global depression have pushed society to the brink of collapse as humanity faces extinction. The United Kingdom, one of the few remaining nations with a functioning government, is deluged by refugees fleeing from chaos in their own countries. In response to this mass influx, the country has become a police state, and illegal immigrants are arrested and either imprisoned or executed by the British government. Theo Faron watches on the news that the youngest man in the world, Diego Ricardo, was killed during a public altercation. Theo, a former activist turned cynical bureaucrat, is kidnapped by the Fishes, a militant immigrant-rights group led by Theo's estranged wife, Julian Taylor. The pair separated after their son's death during a 2008 flu pandemic. Julian offers Theo money to acquire transit papers for a