"The Swimmers" Film Begin Shooting

Netflix and Working Title have begun production on the film “The Swimmers”, directed by Sally El Hosaini.

The film is based on the true story of swimming sisters Yusra and Sarah Mardini’s journey as refugees from war-torn Syria to their path to the 2016 Rio Olympics as part of the Refugee Olympic Team.

In 2015, the Mardini sisters decided to flee the country after their house was destroyed in the Syrian Civil War. They made their way to Lebanon, Turkey, and then to Greece. In the middle of the Aegean Sea, the motor of the dinghy cut out, and the Mardini sisters and those who could swim ensured the safety of the other passengers.

Yusra competed in swimming events at the Rio Olympics.

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="600"] Yusra and Sarah Mardini[/caption]

The production was five days away from shooting in 2020 before the coronavirus pandemic outbreak the globe, is based on a screenplay by El Hosaini and Jack Thorne.

Lebanese sisters Manal and Nathalie Issa are set to play the Mardini sisters. Manal Issa won the best actress at the Les Arcs European Film Festival for “Parisienne” in 2015.

“The Swimmers” stars Kinda Alloush, Ahmed Malek, James Krishna Floyd, Matthias Schweighöfer, Ali Suliman, Elmi Rashid Elmi, and others.

The film is produced by Working Title’s Eric Fellner and Tim Bevan, former Variety contributor Ali Jaafar and Tim Cole. It is executive produced by Stephen Daldry.

It will begin shooting this week in the U.K., Turkey, and Belgium.

“The Swimmers” will release on Netflix globally in 2022.