''Diverted'' is a 2009

CBC CBC may refer to: Media * Cadena Baja California or Grupo Cadena, a radio and television broadcaster in Mexico * Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, Canada's radio and television public broadcaster ** CBC Television ** CBC Radio One ** CBC Music ** ...

made-for-TV miniseries. The film was directed by

Alex Chapple Alex Chapple is a Canadian director and writer. Early life Alex Chapple is a native of Dundas in Hamilton, Ontario. Career Chapple was the director of the 2002 film '' Torso: The Evelyn Dick Story''. In 2009, he directed the film '' Diverted'' ...

and written by Tony Marchant. ''Diverted'' is a fictionalized account inspired by what actually happened to the people of

Gander, Newfoundland Gander is a town located in the northeastern part of the island of Newfoundland in the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador, approximately south of Gander Bay, south of Twillingate and east of Grand Falls-Windsor. Located on th ...

, and the passengers and crews on the airliners diverted by the

Federal Aviation Administration The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is a Federal government of the United States, U.S. federal government agency within the United States Department of Transportation, U.S. Department of Transportation that regulates civil aviation in t ...

(FAA) during the

9/11 attacks The September 11 attacks, also known as 9/11, were four coordinated Islamist terrorist suicide attacks by al-Qaeda against the United States in 2001. Nineteen terrorists hijacked four commercial airliners, crashing the first two into ...

in Operation Yellow Ribbon.

Plot

On September 11, 2001, as information seeps out about the 9/11 attacks on the US, the FAA begins directing all remaining aircraft in the air to nearby airports, completely clearing the skies. A total of 38

transatlantic flight A transatlantic flight is the flight of an aircraft across the Atlantic Ocean from Europe, Africa, South Asia, or the Middle East to North America, South America, or ''vice versa''. Such flights have been made by fixed-wing aircraft, airships, bal ...

s at or near their "point of no return" (also known as the "point of safe return") are diverted to the nearest airport in Canada, Gander, Newfoundland. The anxious passengers leaving on business and vacation trips have no idea why their flights are being sent to a remote town in Canada. With wild rumours spreading, one British airliner's crew tells the passengers what is known, that a terrorist attack has taken place in the United States. Personal stories emerge, with Mike Stiven (

Shawn Ashmore Shawn Robert Ashmore (born October 7, 1979) is a Canadian actor whose career spans film, television, and interactive media. A former child actor, he first drew notice as Jake Berenson on Nickelodeon's ''Animorphs'' (1998–1999), Tyler Connell ...

), the air traffic controller at Gander meeting and falling in love with Alia Ramaswami (

Anita Majumdar Anita Majumdar is a Canadian actress and playwright. She is best known for her role in the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, CBC television film ''Murder Unveiled'' for which she received the Best Actress award at the 2005 Asian Festival of Firs ...

), a woman on one of the diverted airliners. Like many other passengers, New Yorker Samuel Stearn (

David Suchet Sir David Courtney Suchet ( ; born 2 May 1946) is an English actor. He is known for his work on stage and in television. He portrayed Edward Teller in the television serial '' Oppenheimer'' (1980) and received the RTS and BPG awards for his pe ...

) is desperate to contact his son, who was in the

World Trade Center World Trade Centers are the hundreds of sites recognized by the World Trade Centers Association. World Trade Center may also refer to: Buildings * World Trade Center (1973–2001), a building complex that was destroyed during the September 11 at ...

. Marion Price (

Joanne Whalley Joanne Whalley (born 25 August 1961) is an English film and television actress. She was credited as Joanne Whalley-Kilmer from 1988 to 1996 during her marriage to Val Kilmer. Whalley came to fame through television with appearances in drama se ...

) and Andrew Tyler ( Colin Buchanan) are other passengers who are brought together by their shared experiences. The town of Gander mobilizes in Operation Yellow Ribbon to welcome the stranded passengers and crews, finding food and accommodations for everyone. Even years later, the connection between the stranded European and American travellers with their Canadian hosts remains strong.

Cast

* Joe Hynes as Canadian Tire worker

Production

Of the total of 200 aircraft flying over the Atlantic at the time of the 9/11 attacks, 38 flights were diverted to Gander, bringing 6,600 passengers and crew to a town of 9,000. ''Diverted'' was filmed during 2008 in the locations where the events occurred, including Gander, as well as St. John's, Newfoundland,

Hamilton, Ontario Hamilton is a port city in the Canadian Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Ontario. Hamilton has a 2021 Canadian census, population of 569,353 (2021), and its Census Metropolitan Area, census metropolitan area, which encompasses ...

, and

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

where many of the flights originated.

Reception

''Diverted'' was shown as a mini-series on the

Canadian Broadcasting Corporation The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (), branded as CBC/Radio-Canada, is the Canadian Public broadcasting, public broadcaster for both radio and television. It is a Crown corporation that serves as the national public broadcaster, with its E ...

(CBC) network. Critics noted the personal stories were interesting, but the slow pace of the production bogged it down. Reviewer David Nusair commented, "There's little doubt that Diverted, despite the inherently compelling nature of its premise, never quite becomes anything more than a mildly watchable movie-of-the-week …" Gander's story, even though fictionalized, did make a difference for British reviewer Andy Webb: "… alongside these various storylines about the passengers and friendships it also delivers a heart warming story."Webb, Andy
"Diverted (2009)."
''The Movie Scene'', 2014. Retrieved: September 1, 2014.

Awards and honours

At the 2009

Gemini Awards The Gemini Awards were awards given by the Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television between 1986–2011 to recognize the achievements of Canada's English-language television industry. The Gemini Awards are analogous to the Emmy Awards given in th ...

, David Suchet won for Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Dramatic Program or Mini-Series. Tony Marchant was also nominated for a 2009 Gemini in the category, Best Writing in a Dramatic Program or Mini-Series."24th Annual Gemini Awards Nominations."
''The Globe and Mail (archives)'', 2009. Retrieved: September 1, 2014. Director Alex Chapple was nominated for the 2009 DGC Craft Award (Direction - Television Movie/Mini-Series) from the Directors Guild of Canada.

References

External links

CBC Program Guide - ''Diverted''
* {{IMDb title, 1303829 2009 television films 2009 films Canadian drama television films CBC Television original films Canadian aviation films Canadian historical films English-language Canadian films Films based on the September 11 attacks Films scored by Gary Koftinoff Films set in airports Films set in Newfoundland and Labrador 2000s Canadian films Works about Canada–United States relations