Project Detail

Flight 149: Hostage of War

Flight 149: Hostage of War

Synopsis

In August 1990 Saddam Hussein invaded Kuwait, triggering a war that would reshape the geopolitical landscape of the Middle East.
This documentary charts the extraordinary story of the passengers and crew on BA flight 149 who landed in the warzone on the morning of the invasion, becoming Saddam’s hostages in a rapidly escalating international crisis.
For decades the British government denied they knew the invasion had begun before the plane landed. Then in 2023, an MI6 officer broke his silence contradicting this official account. The hostages are now launching a legal case against the British Government and British Airways in their search for the truth about why the plane landed in the first place.
Official Selection SXSW Film & TV Festival 2025 - World premiere

Details

Year
2025
Type of project
Features
Running time
90 min
Director
Jenny Ash
Producer
Andy Holland, Helen McClure, Mowaffaq Safadi, Lucy Towers
Executive Producer
Sam Bagnall, Laura Botten, Mark Henderson, Karen Kelly, Poppy Dixon, Vesna Cudic, Tom Barry
Editor
Rick Barker
Director of Photography
Jamie Cairney
Production Designer
Sally Lock, Zineb Arraki

Categories

Production Status

Production Company

Drum Studios

Laura Botten
https://drum-studios.drumglobal.com/

Page updates

This page was last updated on 6th May 2026. Please let us know if we need to make any amendments or request edit access by clicking below.

See also

You may also be interested in other relevant projects in the database.

Maverick: The Epic Adventures of David Lean Maverick: The Epic Adventures of David Lean

Director: Barnaby Thompson

Year: 2026

An in-depth study of David Lean, the man and his films. David Lean was one of the greatest filmmakers. He redefined what films could be, but his singular vision and tenacious determination to film the impossible earned him a reputation as an obsessive maverick. He was a master of his craft, capable of creating love and beauty on screen, but whose personal life was often troubled, uprooted, and painful. Featuring interviews with contemporary filmmakers including Wes Anderson, Paul Greengrass, Alfonso Cuarón, Celine Song, Brady Corbet, Francis Ford Coppola, Denis Villeneuve, Nia DaCosta, and Joe Wright. Official Selection Cannes Film Festival 2026 - Cannes Classics - World premiere

We, The Hated We, The Hated

Director: Rich Felgate

Year: 2026

Told through the lives and motivations of those on the frontline, WE, THE HATED turns its camera on the people behind one of the most polarising protest movements in recent memory. What emerges goes deeper than placards and road blocks: these are individuals who have weighed up the personal consequences of action against the existential stakes of inaction. With fossil fuels driving both the climate crisis and global conflict, and governments increasingly cracking down on dissent, the film raises urgent questions about protest, power and what democracy actually means in practice. Director Rich Felgate, who is in a relationship with Just Stop Oil's founder, brings an insider closeness to the story whilst retaining enough balance to speak to audiences well beyond the already converted. Official Selection Sheffield DocFest 2026 - World premiere

Life Support Life Support

Director: Daniele Rugo

Year: 2026

A group of international doctors breach the blockade of Gaza. What they find is the calculated dismantling of life itself. Official Selection Sheffield DocFest 2026 - World premiere