Swissair Plane Crash Movie ‘111’ Sets Director Mauro Mueller and Cast as Global Screen Boards Sales (EXCLUSIVE)

The devastating crash of the Swissair Flight 111 in 1998 will be retold in a feature project that just started shooting, and is produced by Zurich-based C-Films AG and Nova Scotia’s Auguste Content.

The two companies shared with Variety details on the international cast, which is led by Kris Holden-Ried (“Departure”), Natalie Brown (“The Strain”), Eric Keenleyside (“Superman & Lois”), Ursina Lardi (“The White Ribbon”), Anatole Taubman (“Zwingli”), Djebril Zonga (“Les Misérables”) and Fathia Youssouf (“Cuties”).

Titled “111,” the movie traces the stories of characters affected by the Swissair flight 111 crash, which happened off the coast of Nova Scotia, near the entrance of Margaret’s Bay, on September 2, 1998.

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The film is directed by Mexican-Swiss filmmaker Mauro Mueller (“A World for Raúl”), who co-wrote the script with U.S. screenwriter Jennie Allen.

Principal photography began in Halifax on Sept. 18 and will continue in Nova Scotia, as well as Zurich and environs, until the end of October. Elevation Pictures will release the film in Canada, Ascot Elite Entertainment in Switzerland. Global Screen, a Vuelta Group company, is handling world sales.

“As a frequent traveler, the crash of Swissair 111 over Halifax was a deeply moving experience,” Mueller comments. “I am fascinated how chance encounters can turn into beautiful, formative moments or—as in this case—bring people together under tragic circumstances.”

“We are not interested in developing a Boulvardesque disaster movie or retelling the tragedy one-to-one,” he adds. “We aim to create a subtle, emotional homage to humans who stand up even in the most adverse circumstances. On the other hand, this film is a gentle appeal to be grateful for what life gives us every day.”

“111” is produced by C-Films AG co-owner Anne Walser and Auguste Content CEO. Björn Hering, who had the idea for “111,” and Fidelio Films—an international production company with offices in Toronto, Mexico City, Bogotá and Zurich—are also producers.

“‘111’ is truly ‘glocal’—locally rooted and yet global,” Swiss producer Walser comments. “We are telling a Swiss tragedy in which more than two dozen nations were involved, and which turned countless people’s lives upside down.

“The highly emotional, international story surrounding the crash of Swissair 111 seems to us to be the ideal material for the talented director, and (2013) winner of the Student Oscar, Mauro Mueller.”

Canadian producer Bernier comments, “The Swissair 111 tragedy not only moved Nova Scotians into mourning, it united Canada, Switzerland, and the world in the face of the unthinkable. We hope this film will remind us of the power of coming together across borders and honor the lives of those we lost.”

Swiss partners include co-producer Schweizer Fernsehen SRF, the Zurich Film Foundation, the Federal Office of Culture, and Suissimage. Canadian funders include Telefilm Canada, Nova Scotia Film & Television Incentive Fund, the Screen Nova Scotia Content Creator Fund, and the Canadian Audio Visual Certification Office.