Netflix has dropped a new trailer for “The Swimmers” which is an upcoming Netflix film based on the true story of swimming sisters Yusra and Sarah Mardini, who fled from 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, Babylon, and The Fifth Bowl, the film was announced in April 2021.
The film was shot in Belgium, the United Kingdom, and Turkey and premiered at the 2022 edition of Toronto International Film Festival and garnered positive reviews from the critics.
The story begins in 2015 Syria, where engulfed by the civil war, forcing many people to flee for their lives. Unfortunately, Yusra and Sarah Mardini, who grew up in Damascus’ suburbs, fall into the same situation, ended up boarding the overcrowded boat head for Greece, but it broke down in the middle of the Aegean Sea, forcing the sisters and two others to swim alongside the boat until they arrived at Lesbos.
Once they settled in Berlin with their parents, Sarah suffered the shoulder injury during their escape and forced to give up her swimming career, Yusra taking over her sisters’ ambition to compete in the 2016 Rio Olympics by winning a 100m butterfly heat race.
The cast challenged the real-life characters 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 alongside other competitors to Yusra.
The film will premiere globally on November 23, 2022.