Woody Harrelson presents Transsiberian

With Transsiberian, director Brad Anderson has proven once again that he has an exceptional ability to craft a suspenseful thriller, following up on the success of The Machinist in 2004. Transsiberian stars Woody Harrelson and Emily Mortimer as Roy and Jessie, an American couple who have decided to take the long way home from their recent sojourn in Asia on the legendary Transsiberian Express train from Beijing to Moscow. On their way, they meet another couple from the West, backpackers Carlos (Eduardo Noriega) and Abby (Kate Mara), and they quickly form the familiar bond that often unites fellow travellers away from home. When Roy accidentally gets separated from the group at a stopover, Jessie decides to wait for him at the next stop together with their newfound friends. Soon she begins to realise that they are not exactly who or what they seem to be. Her world is sent spinning as a web of lies and deceit start to derail her journey in more ways than one. With Transsiberian, Anderson has revived the classic Hitchcockian train-thriller genre and taken it to the next level. For viewers willing to take the ride, Transsiberian is one of the best films this year's festival has to offer. Woody Harrelson got his first big break as the good-hearted but dim-witted bartender Woody Boyd on the classic sitcom Cheers (1982-1993). He went on to star in major box office hits such as White Men Can't Jump (1992), Indecent Proposal (1993), Natural Born Killers (1994), The People vs Larry Flynt (1996), The Thin Red Line (1998) and, more recently, No Country for Old Men (2007). Over the years, Harrelson has garnered great commercial and critical acclaim for his TV and film performances. He won an Emmy, the television equivalent of an Oscar, for his role on Cheers, and received a Best Actor Oscar nomination for his performance in the controversial film The People vs Larry Flint. In addition to his film and television career, Harrelson is also well-known as an activist. He openly supports the legalisation of marijuana and hemp in the U.S. and once scaled the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco to protest against the destruction of the Redwood Forest. He is also a peace activist and has often spoken publicly against the 2003 invasion of Iraq. The 35th annual Ghent Film Festival will be held from 7-18 October. The complete programme will be announced on 24 September. Online ticket sales begin on 25 September. Tickets can also be purchased at the Fnac and the Vooruit starting 27 September.