Hotel Mumbai
Director: Anthony Maras (debut)
Cast: Armie Hammer, Jason Isaacs, Dev Patel, Nazanin Boniadi
Details: After winning multiple awards for his short film work, Australian filmmaker Anthony Maras tries out directing a feature with this true story tale about the victims and survivors of the devastating attacks on Mumbai in 2008 when members of an Islamic terrorist organisation carried out a series of a dozen co-ordinated attacks lasting four days across the Indian city – most notably the Taj Hotel where 200 hostages were being held.
The draw here is that unlike so many of the other films in this genre, this is a much more internationally focused story with people of all races, colors and ethnicities fighting for survival – as opposed to yet another patriotism-heavy film set entirely around mostly white Americans or an event within the United States. There’s a welcome international and diverse cast here which feels truer to real life.