Press Conference: THE SWIMMERS | TIFF 2022

“The team behind THE SWIMMERS in conversation with TIFF in advance of its premiere at the 2022 Toronto International Film Festival. This soaring epic dramatizes the true story of two sisters who left their home in war-torn Syria for a new life in Europe — and the chance to compete in the 2016 Summer Olympics. The 47th Toronto International Film Festival runs September 8 to 18, 2022. For more, visit . An epic adventure drawn from the most pressing of global stories, The Swimmers tells the remarkable true tale of sisters Yusra and Sara Mardini, who fled their home in war-torn Damascus to seek a new life in Europe and earn the chance to compete in the Olympics. Directed by Sally El Hosaini (My Brother the Devil) and written by Jack Thorne (TIFF ’19’s The Aeronauts), this is a moving story of two young women refugees, and their inspiring reach for a better life. Yusra and Sara have pursued rigorous swimming training with their father (Ali Suliman) since childhood. By 2015, with