Mauro Mueller's '111 – Echoes From Halifax' Reckons with Swissair Flight 111 Disaster
The film '111 – Echoes From Halifax,' directed by Swiss filmmaker Mauro Mueller, delves into the tragic Swissair Flight 111 disaster that occurred on September 2, 1998, claiming the lives of all 229 passengers. Rather than focusing on the catastrophe itself, it presents a chamber piece that centers on three families affected by the event. Carine (Ursina Lardi), a Swissair employee in Zurich, gathers the crew; Jacob in Westchester readies for a journey to Switzerland; and Olivia in Geneva anxiously awaits her mother's arrival. All three ultimately board Flight 111, which tragically crashes near Peggy's Cove after smoke is detected. The film highlights the ongoing impact of the tragedy and is set to premiere in theaters on October 1, 2026. Frank Heer’s review was published in the NZZ am Sonntag.
Key facts
- Mauro Mueller directed '111 – Echoes From Halifax', a Swiss-Canadian feature film about the Swissair Flight 111 crash.
- The crash occurred on September 2, 1998, off the coast of Canada, killing all 229 passengers and crew.
- The film focuses on three families before and after the disaster, not on the crash itself.
- Ursina Lardi plays Carine, a Swissair employee who assembles the crew for the flight.
- The flight, numbered 111, was en route from New York to Geneva when the pilot reported smoke in the cockpit.
- The plane crashed into the Atlantic near Peggy's Cove after a failed emergency landing in Halifax; radio contact was lost at 22:25.
- Hundreds of relatives gathered in Peggy's Cove after the crash, aided by psychologists and pastoral workers.
- The film opens in cinemas on October 1, 2026, and was reviewed by Frank Heer in the NZZ am Sonntag.
Entities
Artists
- Mauro Mueller
- Ursina Lardi
- Frank Heer
Institutions
- Swissair
- NZZ am Sonntag
- NZZ
Locations
- Halifax
- Canada
- Zurich
- Switzerland
- Westchester
- Geneva
- New York
- Peggy's Cove
- Atlantic Ocean