Irish Film Institute -Maritime Piracy Event at the Opening of A Hijacking

Maritime Piracy Event at the Opening of A Hijacking

IFI Press Release: 10th May 2013

Maritime Piracy experts and real-life hostage discuss their experience at the IFI opening night event for A HIJACKING on Friday 17th  May 

To celebrate the release of A HIJACKING in Irish cinemas on Friday 17th May, a special panel discussion regarding maritime piracy, ongoing security concerns, the psychological impacts on victims and their families plus the economic effects on a major international industry will take place after the 6.30pm screening at the IFI in Temple Bar, led by Newstalk’s Philip Molloy, film correspondent with The Right Hook on Newstalk Radio for the past 11 years and currently presenter of the weekly movie programme, The Picture Show.

A tense, chilling drama following the emotional journeys of a ship’s crew as they are taken hostage in the Indian Ocean, A HIJACKING was the standout film at 2012 Venice and Toronto Film Festivals and stars familiar faces from Borgen and The Killing.

Joining the panel will be former hostage Chirag Bahri, a Marine Engineer whose world was turned upside down when his vessel was hijacked by Somali pirates for 8 months in 2010 and who has since devoted his career to seafarer welfare; Gary Porter an ex-services Corporate Security Manager for Clipper Group who has worked on resolving real-life hijacking situations and appears in A Hijacking as a negotiator; John Toner, President of the Irish Chamber of Shipping and Mark Cameronof Ardmore Shipping in Cork who have had one of their vessels boarded in 2010.

A Hijacking is by writer-director Tobias Lindholm who previously scripted 2012’s excellent The Hunt which Mads Mikkelsen won Best Actor Cannes 2012 and has written several episodes of the internationally acclaimed Borgen with Pilou Asbæk (Borgen), Søren Malling (Borgen) and Dar Salim (Game of Thrones) in leading roles.

The story contrasts the experience of Pilou Asbæk’s sympathetic, kidnapped cook sweating it out alongside his fellow crew members on board the ship with Søren Malling’s no-nonsense CEO understandably trying to resist giving in to the demands of the hijackers. Lindholm calibrates every move in the anxious negotiations with assured precision and documentary-style veracity to this study of the price of principles and the source of human courage.

Cast Pilou Asbæk (Borgen, A Family), Søren Malling (Borgen, The Killing, A Royal Affair), Dar Salim (Game of Thrones)

Tickets for this special opening night event and for the release of A Hijacking are available now from the IFI Box Office online at www.ifi.ie, in person or on 01 679 3477.

For more information regarding A HIJACKING and interview requests please contact Siobhán Farrell, Eclipse Pictures – siobhan@eclipsepictures.ie or Patrick Stewart at the IFI Press Office pstewart@irishfilm.ie or 01 679 5744

Images available here – http://www.organic-marketing.co.uk/press/hijacking#artwork-anchor

The IFI acknowledges the financial support of the Arts Council

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