Tom Harper’s political thriller War Book is the opening night selection of Rotterdam International Film Fest (IFFR) on January 21.
Penned by Jack Thorne, the film depicts the inner-workings of U.K. officials struggling to address a deadly nuclear attack on their soil.
The film features an ensemble cast, consisting of Adeel Akhtar, Nicholas Burns, Ben Chaplin, Shaun Evans, Kerry Fox, Phoebe Fox, Sophie Okonedo, Antony Sher, and Nathan Stewart-Jarrett.
Over the course of three days, eight government officials, a Member of Parliament, and a political appointee participate in a war-game. It’s a tradition that has taken place regularly among British civil servants since the 1960s, as a way to help them formulate government procedure in case of nuclear war.
Set in 2014, the tale depicts how the group discusses UK policy in the fictional event of a nuclear detonation in Mumbai, India by a Pakistani organization.