The filmmakers behind Last Hijack (2014), Tommy Pallotta and Femke Wolting, had been following the piracy story for almost five years. Piracy was still a huge business when they started their analysis. By the time it came around to filming, the heyday for Somali pirates was over, and the trade was winding down.

That fact was one of the things that helped them gain access for the film. That, and because of one of the main principles behind the film: Somali pirates, when at home, are not inherently voracious murderers, but disparaged people trying to survive via the only means they know.

Wolting and Pallotta explained in an interview how they found Mohamed and got him involved with the film.

“We got interested in the subject when we saw news footage of pirates in tiny boats trying to climb on huge oil tankers. It was such a strong image, and pirates seemed like something from another era. We started reading about piracy and found out there is a whole world around it, issues of globalization such as illegal fishing and waste dumping. The media reported only about the western perspective, and we became fascinated to know who these pirates were and what drove them to risk their lives and go out on the ocean.

We researched for about 18 months before we found Mohamed. Many of the pirates were not willing to speak about their activities because they hope to move to Kenya and the west, so they can’t say too much in fear of being arrested later. Many of the pirates were just young kids sent out on the little boats without knowing much about what was going on. We worked with a Somali journalist, Jamal Osman, who was incredible, and he found Mohamed. He is a very experienced pirate and had no intention to leave the country and was therefore willing to share his life with us. Mohamed’s parents were trying to convince their son to give up piracy, and they thought that Mohamed being a part of the film was a positive thing. His parents supported the film and were also willing to share their lives.”