Netflix has a knack for expanding its library in every genre, especially inspirational real life stories, which have piled up on the world’s largest streaming service. the swimmers is an upcoming Netflix movie based on the true story of swimming sisters Yusra and Sarah Mardini, who fled war-torn Syria to compete in the 2016 Rio Olympics. Co-written and directed by Sally El Hosaini (winner of a BAFTA award), credited for films on My brother the devil, Babylonand The fifth bowlthe film was announced in April 2021.
The film was shot in various locations, including Belgium, the United Kingdom and Turkey. It premiered at the Toronto Film Festival in 2022 and achieved a rotten tomato review score of 78%, and according to critics, it’s an impressive journey with solid performances and an unexpected ending. So, here’s everything we know about the swimmersan ambitious Netflix biography/film.
The true story behind the swimmers
In 2015, Syria was engulfed in a civil war that claimed hundreds of souls and forced many others to flee for their lives. Unfortunately, Yusra and Sarah Mardini, who grew up in the suburbs of Damascus, found themselves in the same situation. They boarded the overcrowded boat for Greece, but it broke off in the middle of the Aegean Sea, forcing the sisters and two others to swim alongside the boat until they reached Lesvos.
They eventually settled in Berlin with their parents, who had also fled Syria. Sarah suffered an unforeseen shoulder injury during the incident and was forced to give up her swimming career. Yusra continued the sisters’ ambition after participating in the 2016 Rio Olympics by winning a 100m butterfly against four other swimmers under the IOC Refugee team banner. the swimmers is the story of two sisters who fought their way from a war-torn country to a new home, holding on to the little hope they had left, and Netflix is preparing to present it visually to the public.
The swimmers: cast & crew
The cast representing the real-life characters of the biography includes Manal Issa as Sarah Mardini, Nathalie Issa as Yusra Mardini, Ali Suliman as Ezzat Mardini, Kinda Alloush as Mervat Mardini, Ahmed Malek as Nizar, James Krishna Floyd as Emad, Matthias Schweighofer as Sven, Roderick Hill as Viktor, Alfredo Tavares as Olympic Coach, Nahel Tzegai as Shada, Elmi Rashid Elmi as Bilal and Isobel Eadie as Swimmer 1 Rio among other Yusra competitors.
While these are the visible cast members we saw in the trailer, there are a few unnamed refugee roles played by Ekran Mustafa, Daniel Eghan, Christian Di Sciullo, and others.
As mentioned, the film is directed and co-written by Sally El Hosaini, and Jack Throne also shared writing credits with her. Steven Prince, an Academy and Emmy Award recipient for: Gravity, composes the music for the film. Christopher Ross, known for his work on black out, Roomand Black Sea, oversaw the cinematography. As a casting director, Shaheen Baig deserves credit for choosing the Issa sisters to play Yusra and Sarah. In any case, the film’s crew seems rather remarkable. Hopefully they will convey the message of this biography in such a way that it will live on in the hearts of the public.
Publication date
Netflix has officially announced that the swimmersBased on an inspiring true story, it will premiere worldwide on November 23, 2022.
Everything else we know
While biographies are not meant to be humorous, they can move viewers to tears with inspirational and emotional sequences. From the comments of critics and the perspective of filmmaker Sally El Hosaini and TIFF CEO Cameron Bailey, the film proves to be highly motivating.
Sally commented on the film’s selection at TIFF:
“I am ecstatic. What an honor and privilege to open TIFF with the inspiring true story of the Mardini sisters. A city as multicultural and diverse as Toronto is the perfect place to debut our film that raises the visibility and voice of refugees , reminding us that the human capacity for survival is stronger than most of us know.”
Cameron Bailey, CEO of TIFF, shared his thoughts after the premiere:
“I was deeply moved by the story of these two sisters and was impressed by the stories. the swimmers was the very best kind of surprise when we saw it this summer – a thrilling, epic journey and the arrival of an important filmmaker. I’m delighted that Toronto audiences will be the first to discover Sally El Hosaini’s remarkable film, and that this year, on our opening night, we can honor all those who risk everything to achieve a better, safer life.”
the swimmers is not your typical motivational story, but rather a tragic adventure of two sisters. It highlights the difficult position of Syrian survivors, as well as the dream of two young girls, one of whom was unable to fulfill due to their terrible fate. While you wait for this ambitious biography, check out these best sports documentaries on Netflix!