TIFF to Open With World Premiere of Sally El Hosaini’s ‘The Swimmers’
thewrap.comSally El Hosaini’s “The Swimmers” has been chosen as the Opening Night Gala Presentation for the 47th Toronto International Film Festival.Based on the true story of Yusra and Sarah Mardini, “The Swimmers” chronicles the journey of two sisters who flee Syria in the midst of war and eventually make it to the 2016 Rio Olympics.
In August 2015, the Mardini sisters were on the third leg of their journey, a boat trip from Turkey to Greece, when the overcrowded vessel began to sink.
After more than three hours of swimming, they were able to propel the passengers to safety. Less than a year later, 18-year-old Yusra made her Olympic debut at the 2016 Rio Games, followed by the Tokyo Summer Games four years later.Led by sisters Nathalie and Manal Issa as Yusra and Sarah, the Netflix and Working Title film also stars Ahmed Malek, Matthias Schweighöfer, Ali Suliman, Kinda Alloush, James Krishna Floyd, and Elmi Rashid Elmi.
El Hosaini wrote the screenplay with Jack Thorne (“Wonder,” “Enola Holmes,” “His Dark Materials”).Working Title’s Tim Bevan and Eric Fellner produced, alongside Ali Jaafar and Tim Cole.
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