The Air Up There: Amelia

Cast:  Hilary Swank, Richard Gere, Ewan McGregor, Christopher Eccleston, Joe Anderson

Director:  Mira Nair

Rating: TBA

After weaving many a sensitive tale, namely The Namesake and Monsoon Wedding, director Mira Nair heads into unfamiliar territory to bring the bold tale of a woman's passionate sky-bound adventure to the big screen. Nair's Amelia chronicles the journey of America's most noted pilot Amelia Earhart (Swank): a woman who dared to put her limits to the test.

The film explores her complex life, her rise to fame, her complicated love life and her christening as ‘Lady Lindy'. Nair says she wanted the film to be a pulsating portrait of a strong woman. "Amelia left behind a legend that I hope will continue to fuel a passion in people to accept no limits."

To give the imagery an authentic touch, producer Ted Waitt purchased two seminal biographies - Susan Butler's East To The Dawn, and Mary Lovell's The Sound of Wings, each exploring little-known facts about the legendary pilot. The research didn't end there: once the screenplay was finalised by award-winning writers Anna Hamilton Phelan and Ron Bass, Nair conducted extensive research of her own.

In fact, the director claims she connected with the American pilot on many levels. "I was born in a small town in India," Nair says, "and Amelia was from a small town in Kansas. I felt a great sense of affinity for her dreams to experience the bigger world around her. Those were my dreams, too." Nair adds that she looks at Amelia as the first real American icon.

The journey also introduces us to two dashing men who grew fond of Amelia - her savvy business partner and eventual husband, George Putnam (Gere) and accomplished pilot Gene Vidal (McGregor).

The castings for the main lead weren't as tiresome as finding the perfect machine which launched Amelia's adventures. The production went on a global search for Amelia's famed, twin-engine, silver-and-orange Lockheed L-10 Electra airplane.

"Finding our Electra was like casting one of the stars," says Nair. "We found our Electra in the South of France, and flew it across the entire African continent, in Amelia's footsteps. It was an incredible trip that nourished us through the course of shooting."

Nair collaborated closely in creating the film's look with cinematographer Stuart Dryburgh. She was most inspired by the things in life that inspired Amelia herself - vibrant style, the spirit of adventure, and most of all, the call of nature's wide open spaces.

The film is produced by Ted Waitt, Kevin Hyman and Lydia Dean Pilcher with Ron Bass and Hilary Swank serving as executive producers and Don Carmody as co-producer.