One film missing from both the Toronto and Venice Film Festival lineups was Paul Greengrass‘ Captain Phillips starring Tom Hanks as the title character in what is described as a “multi-layered examination of the 2009 hijacking of the U.S. container ship Maersk Alabama by a crew of Somali pirates.” Well, it’s not skipping the festival circuit altogether.
Phillips was previously named the opening night film at the 2013 New York Film Festival, which runs from September 27 to October 13 and it will now also open the 57th BFI London Film Festival on October 9.
The film focuses on the relationship between the Alabama’s commanding officer, Captain Richard Phillips (Hanks), and his Somali counterpart, Muse (Barkhad Abdi). Set on an incontrovertible collision course off the coast of Somalia, both men will find themselves paying the human toll for economic forces outside of their control. The film is directed by Academy Award® nominee Paul Greengrass, from a screenplay by Billy Ray based upon the book, A Captain’s Duty: Somali Pirates, Navy SEALs, and Dangerous Days at Sea, by Richard Phillips with Stephan Talty.
Captain Phillips hits US theaters on October 11.
