18/04/2006

Paul Greengrass’ new film United 93 – which recreates the doomed trip in actual time of the United Airlines flight 93 hijacked by terrorists on September 11, 2001 – will have its world premiere as the opening night film of the Tribeca Film Festival in New York (April 25-May 7).

The festival was founded in 2002 by Robert de Niro, Jane Rosenthal and Craig Hatkoff as a response to the attacks on the World Trade Center. The screening of the film on April 25 will be attended by the filmmakers and festival founders, as well as family members who lost loved ones aboard the flight and other 9/11 groups and family organisations.

"9/11 changed us, in indescribable personal ways, but also by forever altering our downtown community," said festival co-founder Rosenthal. "As we enter our fifth festival, we are honored to showcase a film that portrays a story of bravery and sacrifice of the men and women who dedicated their lives that day aboard United flight 93."

Greengrass, the director of Bloody Sunday [+see also:
trailer
film profile] and The Bourne Supremacy added: "The events of 9/11 had a massive effect on me, like everyone, and I wanted to use my position as a filmmaker to contribute something so they are not casually forgotten. United 93 tells one story of that morning and I hope that by showing the film at Tribeca, whose roots and inspiration grew in response to the devastation of 9/11, we will be reminded of the courage of all those on board and also of the thousands of men and women who confronted similarly unimaginable scenarios in New York and Washington."

The film was produced by Working Title’s co-managers Tim Bevan and Eric Fellner with Lloyd Levin and Greengrass for Universal Pictures and Studio Canal Plus. The US theatrical release is set for April 28.