Beyond Borders: The facts

Beyond Borders is a 2002 drama film about aid workers Sarah and Nick who spend years of humanitarian service in Ethiopia. Although it was nominated for The PFS Award for Peace, the film was not critically and financially successful. Learn more about the film that reflected Angelina Jolie’s real-life interest in promoting humanitarian relief in the article below.

Beyond Borders: The movie Sarah Jordan (played by Angelina Jolie), a naive, married American socialite living in England, abandons her job at an art gallery and sheltered life in England to work alongside Dr. Nick Callahan (Clive Owen) in his effort to aid refugee camps. They travel to Ethiopia where work takes them to volatile areas, where few people have travelled and even fewer have survived. Sarah encounters the harsh realities while her growing attraction to the charismatic doctor ignites in her a passion for saving lives but risking her own in the process. She then works for humanitarian and human rights organisations for years after she first travels to Ethiopia. Eventually, she works for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and acts as a ambassador for the United Kingdom, similar to the real life experiences of the actor.
Box-office flop The romantic film, which is set across many years against the ever-changing backdrops of disasters and wars, was directed by Martin Campbell and was shot on location in UK, Thailand, Namibia and Canada. The film’s budget was set at $35,000,000 and earned only over $11M at the worldwide box-office.