First pictures of Angelina Jolie directing Unbroken in Queensland

ANGELINA Jolie has navigated choppy waters off Brisbane for the first day of shooting her new film.

ANGELINA Jolie has navigated the choppy waters of Moreton Bay off Brisbane for the first day of shooting on her film Unbroken.

The film tells the tale of war hero Louis "Louie" Zamperini (Jack O'Connell) who, along with two other crewmen, survived in a life raft for 47 days after a near-fatal plane crash in WWII-only to be caught by the Japanese Navy and sent to a prisoner-of-war camp.

A behind the scenes shot from in Queensland. Picture: Universal

The scene Jolie shot on October 16 showed the characters adrift in the ocean.

The cast members had to spend months dieting before the shoot to be convincing as starving castaways.

The film is based on Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption by Laura Hillenbrand, who also wrote Seabiscuit: An American Legend.

Angelina Jolie directs in Queensland. Picture: Universal

The script was rewritten by the legendary Coen brothers.

The film is due for an Australian release in January 2015.

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