By Rupert Hawksley
Tom Hanks in new film, Captain Phillips, which will open the 57th BFI London Film Festival
Photo: Hopper Stone
Tom Hanks's new film, Captain Phillips, which is based on the true story of an American cargo ship hijacked by Somali pirates, will open the 57th BFI London Film Festival.
Directed by Academy Award nominee Paul Greengrass (The Bourne Supremacy; United 93), Captain Phillips will launch the film festival on October 9 at the Odeon Leicester Square, ahead of the film's general UK release on October 18.
Based on the 2010 memoir, A Captain's Duty: Somali Pirates, Navy SEALs and Dangerous Days at Sea, Captain Phillips explores the events that followed the hijacking of the US container ship, Maersk Alabama, by Somali pirates and the subsequent rescue mission launched by the US Navy.
Three members of the crew of Somalian pirates were shot dead trying to escape. Only Abdiwali Abdiqadir Muse, played by Barkhad Abdi, survived and much of the film focuses on his relationship with Captain Phillips (Tom Hanks). Though the film is expected to be a high-octane thriller, Greengrass also examines the desperation of the Somali pirates, questioning their motives and taking aim at the negative impact of globalization.
Claire Stewart, BFI Head of Exhibition and Festival Director, said: "We are thrilled to be opening the BFI London Film Festival by welcoming Paul Greengrass – one of the great supporters of the BFI and British film – back to London for the European premiere of Captain Phillips.
"Our Festival audiences will be captivated by Greengrass’s virtuoso filmmaking; Captain Phillips is an intense, high-stakes drama, focusing on two men forced onto a collision course by global political forces much larger than themselves.
"Featuring spellbinding performances by Tom Hanks and four Somali-American actors (Barkhad Abdi, Faysal Ahmed, Barkhad Abdirahman and Mahat M Ali), we are excited to be presenting this film as our Opening Night Gala."
Both Hanks and Greengrass are expected to attend the European premiere of Captain Phillips.
The BFI London Film Festival runs from October 9 to October 20