Toronto: Air India 182 , a new Canadian documentary about the 1985 Kanishka bombing that claimed 329 lives, will have its world premiere at the Hot Docs film festival here on April 18.

The film offers a first-person account of the conspiracies leading up to the attack on the airliner and the roles Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) played in its aftermath.

The documentary has "profound implications about the way we think of ourselves and the society we live in," Toronto filmmaker Sturla Gunnarsson, who has written and directed it, said here.

Canadians need to wake up to the history of the tragedy of Air India flight 182,"the most deadly incident of air terrorism before 9/11," Gunnarsson said.

"This was as significant to Canada as (the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks) were to the United States. You had people in our society using all of the civil liberties we hold so dear to try and destroy us. It was necessary to try and understand it."

"When the trial ended, it dawned on me that all the information was in the public domain and I realised what we needed to do was distil it down," Gunarsson added.

Air India 182 is produced by David York and Gunarsson. The duo last teamed up for the Emmy Award-winning Gerrie and Louise , set in South Africa.

Hot Docs -- the 15th Canadian International Documentary Festival -- will be held from April 17 to 27.