THE SWIMMERS Premieres At 2022 Toronto International Film Festival Ahead Of November 23 Debut On Netflix – Watch TIFF Video Presentation

On Thursday evening THE SWIMMERS received a four minute standing ovation after its premiere at the 2022 Toronto International Film Festival.

This soaring epic dramatizes the true story of two sisters who left their home in war-torn Syria for a new life in Europe — and the chance to compete in the 2016 Summer Olympics.

An epic adventure drawn from the most pressing of global stories, The Swimmers tells the remarkable true tale of sisters Yusra and Sara Mardini, who fled their home in war-torn Damascus to seek a new life in Europe and earn the chance to compete in the Olympics. Directed by Sally El Hosaini (My Brother the Devil) and written by Jack Thorne (TIFF ’19’s The Aeronauts), this is a moving story of two young women refugees, and their inspiring reach for a better life.

The Hollywood Reporter’s Etan Vlessing writes: “It’s an inspirational story,” director El-Hosaini said during a post-screening Q&A when explaining why she took on the project, as the Toronto festival looks to crowd-pleasing The Swimmers, with its tears and emotional breakthroughs, to possibly be this award season’s CODA, which pulled out a best picture win at last year’s Oscars.”

Yusra and Sara have pursued rigorous swimming training with their father (Ali Suliman) since childhood. By 2015, with Syria’s devastating civil war escalating, their dreams of Olympic gold are quickly fading. They decide to risk the perilous journey to Europe. Accompanied by their cousin (Ahmed Malek), they escape first to Lebanon, then Turkey. Then, in a bravura sequence equal to any great action blockbuster, they board a small boat teeming with fellow refugees to cross a frequently lethal stretch of the Mediterranean sea. Their journey is far from over. Nathalie Issa and Manal Issa, sisters in real life, deliver outstanding performances as Yusra and Sara, full of the passion and emotional intimacy that can come only from a lifetime lived together.

As Yusra and Sara’s fortunes begin to look brighter in Europe, swim coach Sven Spannenkrebs (Matthias Schweighöfer) offers the opportunity to fulfill their lifelong dream. Propelled by gripping events and El Hosaini’s powerfully cinematic storytelling, The Swimmers is a testament to perseverance in the face of unspeakable adversity. But the heart of the film is the relationship between two sisters, fiercely holding onto life, and their love for each other.

The score is from Steven Price – Oscar Winner for 2014’s GRAVITY.

The team behind THE SWIMMERS sat to discuss the movie with TIFF in advance of its premiere.

Sally El Hosaini was born in Swansea, Wales and raised in Cairo. She has directed the shorts The Fifth Bowl (08) and Henna Night (09), the television series Babylon (14), and her feature debut My Brother the Devil (13). The Swimmers (22) is her latest film.