(T)error

(T)error
Directed byLyric R. Cabral
David Felix Sutcliffe
Produced byChristopher St. John
StarringKhalifah Al-Akili and Saeed Torres
Music byRobert Miller
Release date
  • October 7, 2015 (2015-10-07)
Running time
84 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

(T)error – stylized as (T)ERROR – is a 2015 American documentary film directed by Lyric R. Cabral and David Felix Sutcliffe. The film follows undercover FBI informant Saeed "Shariff" Torres as he engages in a sting operation targeting a Muslim man named Khalifah Ali Al-Akili as well as Tarik Shah.[1] The film won the Special Jury Award for Breakout First Feature at the 2015 Sundance Film Festival, where it premiered.[2][3]

It is the first documentary to follow an active FBI case while in progress.[4] It is the first film for Cabral and the second for Sutcliffe.[5] Sutcliffe said the film's intention was to show informants and their targets, and focus on the "decisions, tactics and objectives of counterterrorism cases."[6]

The film aired on US television on the PBS series Independent Lens. The film was re-titled FBI Undercover when broadcast in the UK by the BBC as part of their Storyville TV series.[7]

The story was also retold on This American Life.[8]

  1. ^ "Extended interview with Khalifah al-Akili from Federal Prison; Says FBI Tried to Entrap Him (WEB EXCLUSIVE)". Democracy Now. 20 April 2015. Retrieved 22 December 2015.
  2. ^ Chang, Justin (31 January 2015). "Here are the 2015 Sundance Film Fest winners". Archived from the original on 5 February 2015. Retrieved 22 December 2015.
  3. ^ Pilgrim, Sophie (25 April 2015). "US filmmakers unveil FBI tactics to snare Muslims". France 24. Archived from the original on 2015-04-25. Retrieved 26 April 2015.
  4. ^ Perez, Rodrigo (30 April 2015). "Hot Docs Review: FBI Informant Tale (T)error Is One Of The Most Riveting Documentaries Of The Year". The Playlist. Indiewire. Archived from the original on 2015-12-18. Retrieved 22 December 2015.
  5. ^ Moylan, Brian (28 January 2015). "Sundance 2015 review: (T)ERROR – is entrapment always this boring?". The Guardian. Retrieved 22 December 2015.
  6. ^ Moynihan, Colin (2 September 2015). "'(T)error' Focuses on Informant and Piques F.B.I.'s Interest". The New York Times. Retrieved 22 December 2015.
  7. ^ Newall, Sally (30 November 2015). "Storyville: FBI Undercover, BBC4 - TV review: There is no perfect solution in these difficult times". The Independent. Archived from the original on 2022-05-01. Retrieved 22 December 2015.
  8. ^ "This American Life Episode 566: Act Two ("The Lyin' Kings") transcript". This American Life. 11 September 2015. Retrieved February 22, 2016.