Michael Henderson is a British TV news reporter sent to Sarajevo to cover the Bosnian war. A veteran war correspondent, Michael (Stephen Dillane) is accompanied by his producer Jane (Kerry Fox) and cameraman Gregg (James Nesbitt). Also in Sarajevo is cynical US reporter Jordan Flynn (Woody Harrelson) and spirited free-lancer Annie (Emily Lloyd). Michael wants to make a mark on the six o'clock news and begins a series of reports on a front-line orphanage. However, witnessing the plight of war orphans first-hand inspires a transformation from objective journalist to activist that could cost him his life as he attempts to smuggle a nine year-old girl out of the country.

Welcome to Sarajevo is based on the experiences of real-life war correspondent Michael Nicholson, and the script was developed from the non-fictional account "Natasha's Story". Consequently, the film contains a sense of realism that is as compelling as it is unsettling. Bombarded nightly with images of war on the news, it was easy to become indifferent to the plight of the Bosnian people, either because the suffering of so many men, women and children was too harsh a reality to comprehend, or because it seemed so remote from our day to day lives. Michael Winterbottom's film challenges that conditioned indifference, and scrutinises the role of mass media in reporting the conflict and influencing public perceptions and reactions to it. Sincere and solid performances by the cast, Stephen Dillane particularly, ensure the story is both credible and engaging.