Swimmers (Film)

The Swimmers (Turkish: Yüzücüler) is a 2022 biographical drama film based on true events. The film tells the story of two sisters, Sara and Yusra Mardini, who fled war-torn Syria and undertook a perilous journey to reach Europe, ultimately qualifying for the 2016 Rio Olympics. The film explores themes such as the refugee crisis, female solidarity, and sport as a vehicle of hope.

The film depicts the journey of sisters Sara and Yusra Mardini, professional swimmers who escaped Syria due to civil war and endured dangerous challenges on their path to Europe. When the motor of their refugee boat failed while crossing the Aegean Sea, the sisters jumped into the water and pushed the vessel to safety using their swimming skills, an act of bravery that brought them to global attention. After arriving in Germany, Yusra’s participation in the Rio 2016 Olympics as a refugee athlete marks the film’s climax.

• Nathalie Issa – Yusra Mardini
• Manal Issa – Sara Mardini
• Matthias Schweighöfer – Sven (Yusra’s coach)
• Ali Suliman – Ezzat Mardini (father)
• Ahmed Malek – Nizar
• James Krishna Floyd – Emad
• Nahel Tzegai – Shada
• Alfredo Tavares – Olympic Coach
• Victoria Valcheva – Kostana
• Nas Ganev – Refugee
• Isobel Eadie – Swimmer 1 (Rio)
• Ekran Mustafa – Refugee
• Tim Bevan – Bilal
• Kinda Alloush – Mervat Mardini (mother)
• Dritan Kastrati – Vadim

^{Cast members of The Swimmers: Ahmed Malek, Nathalie Issa and Manal Issa (}IMDb⁾

• 2023 BAFTA Film Awards
• • Nomination: Best British Film – Sally El Hosaini, Jack Thorne
• 2023 BAFTA Cymru Awards (Wales)
• • Winner: Best Director – Fiction – Sally El Hosaini
• 2023 Cinema for Peace Awards
• • Nomination: Film of the Year (Dove of Peace) – Sally El Hosaini
• 2023 BFE Cut Above Awards
• • Nomination: Best British Dramatic Feature – Iain Mutfak
• 2023 Girls on Film Award
• • Nomination: Best Female Friendship on Screen – Nathalie Issa & Manal Issa (as Yusra and Sara Mardini)