The French Atlantic Affair(1979)

The French Atlantic Affair is a 1979 television miniseries about a transatlantic ocean liner hijacked by a cult. When the SS Festivale departs New York for France with 3,000 passengers, a charismatic religious leader named Father Craig Dunleavy seizes control of the ship alongside 146 cult members. He demands $70 million in gold and threatens to execute everyone aboard once paid. A Pulitzer Prize-winning author and the ship's captain must navigate the crisis without knowing which passengers are cultists, while Dunleavy's threat to kill twelve people for every hijacker harmed raises the stakes. Based on Ernest Lehman's novel, the miniseries aired across three nights in November 1979, blending disaster-thriller elements with high-stakes hostage drama.