You often hear that reality is often more amazing than any fiction. That’s exactly the case with the story that inspired the upcoming film, “The Swimmers.”
As seen in the trailer for “The Swimmers,” the film follows the incredible true story of two sisters who escaped Syria as refugees with dreams of one day competing in the Olympic Games as swimmers. The drama stars Nathalie Issa, Manal Issa, Matthias Schweighöfer, Ahmed Malek, James Krishna Floyd, Nahel Tzegai, Kinda Alloush, and Ali Suliman. “The Swimmers” is directed by Sally El Hosaini, who co-wrote the script alongside Jack Thorne.
In our review of the film, from this year’s TIFF, we enjoyed the story but were mixed on the end result, “Destined to make audiences weep, ‘The Swimmers’ is no doubt a crowd-pleaser with an important message about the growing refugee crisis worldwide, and Yusra’s story is one worth telling. It’s a pity the filmmakers couldn’t take the time to see her life as more than just a vessel for this message.”
“The Swimmers” debuts in select theaters on November 11 before hitting Netflix on November 23. You can watch the trailer below.
Here’s the synopsis:
Based on a true story, THE SWIMMERS follows the journey from war-torn Syria to the 2016 Rio Olympics. Two young sisters embark on a harrowing journey as refugees, putting both their hearts and champion swimming skills to heroic use. Starring Nathalie Issa, Manal Issa, Matthias Schweighöfer, Ahmed Malek, James Krishna Floyd, Nahel Tzegai, Kinda Alloush and Ali Suliman. Directed by Sally El Hosaini, with a screenplay written by El Hosaini and multi-award-winning screenwriter and playwright Jack Thorne. Produced by Working Title’s Tim Bevan and Eric Fellner alongside Ali Jaafar and Tim Cole with Stephen Daldry executive producing.