Tom Hanks relives pilot's horror and heroism on the water

Tom Hanks stars as the hero in Sully, which will hit Chinese mainland theaters on Friday. [Photo provided to China Daily]

Many people will remember the moment when a powerless airliner was forced to land on the frigid waters of New York's Hudson River on Jan 15, 2009.

Thankfully, all 155 abroad were saved thanks to heroic pilot Chelsey Sullenberger's flying skills.

But, Sullenberger was then investigated by National Transportation Safety Board, as the latter thought his water landing was a mistake.

That became the attraction for Oscar-winning director Clint Eastwood to make Sully, based on the real incident.

Nearly three months after its United States premiere, Chinese audiences can see the biographical feature, starting from Friday.

"It was a positive outcome in a bad situation," says Eastwood, who's known to Chinese moviegoers for his 1995 romance The Bridges of Madison County (1995), in a promotional material tailored for the Chinese market.

Before the incident, the US was a different place, says Eastwood. "It was post-9/11, we had troops in the Middle East, there was the 2008 financial meltdown ... people were worried," he says.

"That happened in Manhattan and we survived it, well, I think it gave people hope."