Magnolia Pictures has acquired North American rights to Danish filmmaker Tobias Lindholm's feature film, A Hijacking, which was first profiled on this site over the summer, for a mid-2013 release.

A Hijacking is described as a fascinating window onto the phenomenon of modern piracy as yet another by-product of the catastrophic economic disparity between impoverished countries and the "First World."

A Hijacking's synopsis reads:

Tensions are high after a Danish freighter is captured and held for ransom by Somali pirates, leading to weeks of high-stakes negotiations — and an escalating potential for explosive violence — in Tobias Lindholm's grittily authentic and suspenseful thriller.

A little bit more of what I read about the film: 

Meanwhile, the crew, their families, and the pirates themselves — some of them just kids, some apparently coerced into participating in the hijack — struggle to deal with the ever-mounting pressure, uncertainty, and potential for violence.

And also…

Hewing to the aesthetic he devised for his co-directed feature debut R (which dealt with life in a penitentiary), Lindholm and his collaborators make vivid use of actual locations and draw some of their cast from people who have been involved in similar situations… Far more than a gimmick, these elements of authenticity and Lindholm's documentary style not only invest the proceedings with a lived-in, matter-of-fact air, but ratchet up the tension and create an all-too-believable atmosphere of claustrophobia and fear. Forgoing exploitation tactics and cheap thrills, Lindholm zooms in on the harsh reality of his scenario.

And finally, when I read that Lindholm's film is "a fascinating window onto the phenomenon of modern piracy — yet another by-product of the catastrophic economic disparity between impoverished countries and the "First World"," I was encouraged. It tells me that the filmmaker seems to understand that there's more than just simplistic "good and evil" or "good versus evil" labeling here. It's a far more complicated issue than many realize.

I'm interested, and definitely want to check this out for myself, and hope it makes it way to NYC. 

A Hijacking made its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival 2 months ago.

Said Magnolia president Eamonn Bowles about the film: “A Hijacking is a strikingly intelligent, thrilling and timely film, and Tobias Lindholm is a talent to be reckoned with.”

Watch the trailer below: