Annette Bening And Jodie Foster Star In Trailer For Netflix’s NYAD

By Michelle McCue | October 19, 2023

Netflix has released the brand new trailer for NYAD. NYAD tells the remarkable true story of athlete Diana Nyad who, at the age of 60 and with the help of her best friend and coach, commits to achieving her life-long dream: a 110-mile open ocean swim from Cuba to Florida.

In their Telluride Film Festival review, Variety’s Peter Debruge says: “it’s the private glimpses of vulnerability that make “Nyad” so effective, along with the personal scenes between Diana and Bonnie — dramatized moments when no cameras were present in the real world. Audiences want to see Diana Nyad succeed, but the pleasure of the experience comes from watching actors become these characters. No matter how tricky such feats must have been to re-create, you get the impression that everyone involved was having a blast.”

A remarkable true story of tenacity, friendship and the triumph of the human spirit, NYAD recounts a riveting chapter in the life of world-class athlete Diana Nyad. Three decades after giving up marathon swimming in exchange for a prominent career as a sports journalist, at the age of 60, Diana (four-time Academy Award nominee Annette Bening) becomes obsessed with completing an epic swim that always eluded her: the 110 mile trek from Cuba to Florida, often referred to as the “Mount Everest” of swims. Determined to become the first person to finish the swim without a shark cage, Diana goes on a thrilling, four-year journey with her best friend and coach Bonnie Stoll (two-time Academy Award winner Jodie Foster) and a dedicated sailing team.

The Washington Post’s Ann Hornaday says in her review: ““Nyad” is a prime showcase for Bening, who delivers a brave, bravura turn as a woman who is frankly not that likable, but whose arrogance and selfishness mask devastating buried wounds. But her characterization would be monotonous and even alienating if it weren’t for a superlative supporting cast, including Rhys Ifans as navigator John Bartlett, a crusty, unsentimental sea dog who can give as good as he gets, and whose knowledge of the Gulf Stream proves crucial, not just to Diana’s completion of the swim, but to her survival. Ifans is one revelation in “Nyad.” But by far the biggest and most gratifying is Foster, whom generations have watched grow up on-screen, and who here reminds us why she’s among the most beloved actors of her time.”

The inspirational film marks the narrative directorial debut of Academy Award-winning documentary filmmakers Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin (Free Solo, The Rescue). NYAD is produced by Andrew Lazar, p.g.a. and Teddy Schwarzman, p.g.a. with a screenplay by Julia Cox, adapted from the memoir “Find a Way” by Diana Nyad.

Look for NYAD in select theaters on October 20th and on Netflix on November 3rd.