Life of Pi is a 2012 American
adventure drama film based on
Yann Martel's
2001 novel of the same name. Directed by
Ang Lee, the film's
adapted screenplay was written by
David Magee, and it stars
Suraj Sharma,
Irrfan Khan,
Rafe Spall,
Gérard Depardieu,
Tabu, and
Adil Hussain. The storyline revolves around an Indian man named Piscine Molitor "Pi" Patel, living in
Canada and telling a novelist about his life story and how at 16 he survives a shipwreck in which his family dies, and is stranded in the
Pacific Ocean on a lifeboat with a
Bengal tiger named
Richard Parker. The film had its
worldwide premiere as the opening film of the 51st
New York Film Festival at both the
Walter Reade Theater and
Alice Tully Hall in
New York City on September 28, 2012.
Life of Pi emerged as a critical and commercial success, earning over US$609 million worldwide. It was nominated for three
Golden Globe Awards which included the
Best Picture – Drama and the
Best Director and won the
Golden Globe Award for Best Original Score. At the
85th Academy Awards it had eleven nominations, including
Best Picture and
Best Adapted Screenplay, and won three (the most for the event) including
Best Director for
Ang Lee.