“I’m amazed by the resilience of the human spirit”: Sally El Hosaini, Nathalie Issa, Manal Issa and Matthias Schweighofer on The Swimmers

The Swimmers tells the extraordinary true story of the Mardini sisters, Yusra and Sara, two competitive swimmers who overcame all odds to escape war in Syria to find themselves at the 2016 Rio Olympics. With Welsh-Egyptian Sally El Hosaini in the director’s chair, and real-life Issa sisters Nathalie and Manal taking on the lead roles, this stranger-than-fiction tale of female resilience and emancipation is brought to the screen with breathtaking vividity and authenticity.

It takes the old-age setup of an underdog sports movie and reimagines it afresh, furthermore turning on their head many of the “othering” stereotypes too often applied to refugee stories in both journalistic and fiction accounts. The viewer is put firmly in the shoes of these two young women for every miraculous high and perilous low of their journey travelling to Europe to seek asylum, from partying to Titanium at a rooftop bar as missiles are launched across their home city, finding themselves adrift in the Mediterranean sea on a near-sunken dingy with the lives of all board at stake, to finally arriving in the surreal surroundings of the purpose-built Olympic village in Brazil.

El Hosaini’s lens presents a slightly heightened reality to powerful effect, with eye-popping colour, creatively executed visuals and consistent high-stakes tension, while also never losing sight of the human story at the film’s core: the love of two very different teenage sisters simply trying to find their place in the world, bickering and finding humour in the darkest of moments like any other siblings. At a time when the plight of those fleeing persecution and war to seek a better life for themselves and their families is becoming further stigmatised, not to mention safe routes to Europe and the UK continually closed off, El Hosaini’s take on the Mardinis’ story is both timely and vital, demonstrating the power of art to foster empathy. 

The Upcoming were lucky enough to catch up with the director and her cast ahead of the premiere at the London Film Festival. El Hosaini explained how she came to make a film about the incredible true story, casting the real-life Issa sisters as her leads, her approach to the look and feel of the feature (in particular the use of colour and the underwater scenes), and what she hopes audiences will take away from watching it.

Nathalie and Manal Issa and Matthias Schweighöfer then shared the appeal for them in being on board with the project, how much they were able to speak with and learn about the story of the real-life people they play, and why they felt the story was an important one to tell.

Sarah Bradbury

The Swimmers is released in select cinemas on 11^th November and available on Netflix on 23^rd November 2022. Read our review here.

Watch the trailer for The Swimmers here: