Gale Force 10, the new Flemish film by Hans Herbots, will have its world premiere on Friday, October 6 on the eve of the 33rd edition of the Flanders International Film Festival - Ghent. Gale Force 10 will be the official opening film of the Festival Previews section. The opening itself promises to be an impressive spectacle, thanks to the cooperation of the 40th Sea King squadron.

Gale Force 10 is the third feature film by the Flemish director Hans Herbots. Hans Herbots made his debut in 2001 with Falling, and his film Weekend attracted more than 100,000 cinemagoers in 2005. Both films premiered at the Flanders International Film Festival - Ghent. For producers Erwin Provoost and Hilde De Laere, this will be a return to the Festival after the successful opening film of 2003, The Alzheimer Case.

Gale Force 10 is a daring film adventure. In his third picture, director Hans Herbots has brought together intimate drama, spectacle and special effects, using an international crew and the cream of Flemish actors. Besides Koen De Bouw, Axel Daeseleire and Warre Borgmans, the cast includes a great many up-and-coming actors such as Veerle Baetens, Stan Van Samang, Jelle Cleymans and newcomer Kevin Janssens.

In Gale Force 10, Kevin Janssens plays the part of diver Rick Symons. After an ‘incident’ at a reception for the top echelons of the Army, diver Rick Symons is sent to the 40th Search and Rescue Squadron in Koksijde, where he joins a very competent and unusual Sea King crew. To his surprise, he finds that Alex (Veerle Baetens), a female medic with whom he had a run-in earlier, is also based here. The transfer to Koksijde forces Rick to face another confrontation: eighteen months ago his friend and colleague Koen (Axel Daeseleire) was left permanently disabled after a diving accident. Rick is fully aware of the fact that on that fatal night he let his friend down in more ways than one...

For the first time in its history, the Flanders International Film Festival - Ghent will have two official openings this year: Gale Force 10 will open the Festival Previews, a section featuring major national and international premieres, on October 6. The official opening of the Competition will take place on Wednesday, October 11. The title will be announced nearer the time.