Operation TAP, now shooting, turns a 1980 airline hijacking by a 16-year-old into an '80s-flavoured adventure. João Nuno Pinto directs Rui Pedro Silva, Afonso Pimentel and Victoria Guerra.
A teenager with a weapon, a plane bound for Madrid and a demand for $10 million: that is the premise of Operation TAP, the first Netflix film made in Portugal, which has just gone into production. It is loosely based on a real event, the 1980 hijacking of a TAP flight by a 16-year-old.
Netflix announced the start of shooting on 3 November. Its own description of the film is an “adventure with an ’80s vibe and a modern pace”, one that combines tension and emotion. The night in question, the streamer says, “ultimately turned into something no one expected.”
A hijacking that turns into something else
The setup is stark. In 1980, an armed teenager takes over a plane and makes hostages of the passengers and crew for a night of tension and uncertainty. Then the story turns. According to Netflix’s synopsis, what begins as a threat of violence reveals an unexpected story of empathy and humanity between the young hijacker and the people he holds.
That is an unusual pitch for a hostage drama. Netflix describes the boy as having “a head full of dreams”, which suggests the film is as interested in him as it is in the danger. Pair that with an ’80s setting and a brisk modern rhythm, and you can see the intended mix: period texture, a ticking clock and a human story under it.
The script is by Pedro Lopes, Miguel Rico and Marina Preguiça Ribeiro.
The director and the cast
João Nuno Pinto directs. His credits include Mosquito and 18 Holes to Paradise.
The lead cast is three Portuguese screen names, each with a recent track record:
Rui Pedro Silva has appeared in Remains of the Wind and Maria Vitória. Afonso Pimentel is known for Memories of Prison and Turn of the Tide. Victoria Guerra has worked on Gloria and on Impossible Love. Netflix has not said who plays which part, so the casting game stays open for now.
Why it matters
Netflix has worked in Portuguese fiction before. Glória was its first Portuguese series. The company behind it, SPi, also produces Operation TAP. A feature film is the next step, and it gives writers, crews and actors in the country another kind of project to work on for a global platform.
SPi is part of the SP Televisão Group. It describes itself as an international brand that specialises in developing original content for international markets and in international co-productions. It also calls itself a pioneer in producing content for major streaming platforms. Besides Glória, its portfolio includes Codex 632, Vanda and Cold Haven. SPi cites more than 30 international awards and nominations and says it has a growing network of international partners.
For a first Portuguese film, then, Netflix has stayed with a producer it already knows. The team has made series for the platform and has an eye on audiences abroad. That matters, because the story is not a local one only. A hijacked plane, a one-night timeline and a stand-off between a boy and his hostages are easy to explain in any language.
The film’s Portuguese roots are also its selling point. It takes an event from the country’s own history and tells it through Portuguese writers, a Portuguese director and Portuguese actors. Because it is only “loosely based” on the real case, the filmmakers have room to shape the drama as they see fit, and the emotional heart sits in the encounter between the teenager and the people on the plane.
Production is under way, with the cast and creative team in place. When the film reaches Netflix, it will carry a small bit of history of its own as the platform’s first feature made in Portugal.
Via Netflix
