Hot Docs 2008

On June 22, 1985, Air India 182 left Montreal, bound for Delhi. It never made it. Four hours after takeoff, a bomb ripped through the baggage compartment and the plane disintegrated, killing all 329 people, mostly Canadians, on board. The bombing was the result of a Vancouver-based conspiracy, whose members were under investigation by CSIS in the preceding months. It was Canada's first devastating experience with international terrorism and, until 9/11, was the most lethal act of air terrorism in history. Air India 182 is a first-person account of the Air India conspiracy and its tragic aftermath, as told by those directly involved. They include family members, investigators, airport personnel and rescue workers. Together, they reconstruct the final weeks, days and hours before the flight disappeared off the radar screens and their lives were changed forever. Sturla Gunnarsson, one of Canada's preeminent filmmakers, presents these events with restraint and respect.