Angelina Jolie makes surprise appearance at CinemaCon

Angelina Jolie stunned attendees at Las Vegas' CinemaCon event on Tuesday (25Mar14) by making an unexpected appearance to premiere footage from her upcoming drama Unbroken.

The Salt star has been working on her second directorial project, a biopic about the life of Olympian and World War II hero Louis Zamperini, and she shared the first clips from the movie with cinema owners at the annual film conference.

Speaking to the audience at the Caesars Palace resort, she said, "Lou Zamperini is the toughest man I have ever met. He's a fighter and true hero. He is also a man of faith, full of love and humility. He sounds perfect. But he wasn't always. Smoking, stealing and drinking by the time he was nine, he was convinced he was worth nothing and full of darkness."

Jolie revealed that she had been deeply moved by Zamperini's story of survival, documented in Laura Hillenbrand's book Unbroken, and was determined to share his journey through life with the world.

She added, "I wanted to make this film because its message is one that we all need now more than ever - the journey of a man finding his way through the darkness and into the light. It's about an imperfect person... someone who helps to remind us all what each of us is capable of."

Jolie was the only talent present during the Universal Pictures presentation of upcoming releases, which included a preview from the Fast & Furious 7 movie.

The fast-paced film sequel featured footage of late actor Paul Walker opposite co-stars Vin Diesel and Michelle Rodriguez. Many of Walker's scenes are being shot using look-a-likes following the star's car crash death in November (13).