TIFF CEO Cameron Bailey announced today that the World Premiere of The Swimmers will be the Opening Night Gala Presentation for the 47th Toronto International Film Festival® on Thursday, September 8, at Roy Thomson Hall.
“I was deeply moved by the story of these two sisters and wowed by the storytelling,” said Bailey. “The Swimmers was the very best kind of surprise when we saw it this summer — an exciting, epic journey and the arrival of an important filmmaker. I’m thrilled that audiences in Toronto will be the first to discover Sally El Hosaini’s remarkable film, and that this year on our Opening Night we can honour everyone who risks everything to reach a better, safer life.”
“I’m ecstatic. What an honour and privilege to open TIFF with the inspirational true-life story of the Mardini sisters,” said The Swimmers director El Hosaini. “A city as multicultural and diverse as Toronto is the perfect place to debut our film that elevates the visibility and voice of refugees, reminding us that the human capacity to survive is stronger than most of us know.”
Based on a true story, The Swimmers follows the journey from war-torn Syria to the 2016 Rio Olympics. Two young sisters embark on a harrowing journey as refugees, putting both their hearts and champion swimming skills to heroic use.
Starring Manal Issa, Nathalie Issa, Ahmed Malek, Matthias Schweighöfer, Ali Suliman, Kinda Alloush, James Krishna Floyd, and Elmi Rashid Elmi. Directed by Sally El Hosaini, with a screenplay written by El Hosaini and multi-award-winning screenwriter and playwright Jack Thorne. Produced by Working Title’s Tim Bevan and Eric Fellner alongside Ali Jaafar and Tim Cole with Stephen Daldry executive producing.
Oppenheimer teaser trailer out: https://youtu.be/hflCiNtY6MA
OOh, the Woke film that Oscar voters will be forced to herald.
Caring about refugees is woke now? It’s hard to keep up.
Just listen to Hollywood’s Heartbeat. They know all!
Joking aside, I have no idea what you’re talking about.
Sometimes you need to take the pulse of the environment in which you surround yourself.
In other words, read more of the site’s articles.
Nothing I’ve read on this site explains to me why caring about refugees and/or making movies about them is bad, so I’d need you to walk me through it.
Movies are not chosen by quality anymore, some will argue, but because of the political message of the content. This film has the perfect political message if such things are true.
But why do you think it lacks quality? Have you seen it?
it doesn’t matter if it’s actually good, according to some, it just needs to be of passable quality (like Green Book) for the Oscar Voters to embrace the political message (Do you have read the other articles on here?)
It doesn’t seem to matter to you whether or not it’s actually good. Your criticism is based entirely on its subject.
now you get it
There are people in our midst that think that Oscar voters believe a film’s quality is second to how woke it is.
I am merely pointing out that when you look at a movie that way, you can’t actually enjoy the film for what it is, even if it’s a masterpiece.
And you are clearly one of them. You don’t care about this film’s quality, you only care that it is “woke”. Why do you choose to view movies this way? And how is it “woke” to simply make a movie about refugees?
Just because I say the practice exists doesn’t mean I follow that practice.
But you are following it here. You are criticizing this film based solely on its subject matter, not its quality.
I never not once criticized this film
You called it “woke” and stated that its awards prospects are based on its subject matter and not its quality.
In what way is this film “woke” anyway?
it could be that Russ is just issuing a prebuttal just in case this film lands. This site occasionally does veer into some of what Russ is taking about.
But yeah, can we please SEE these films first before passing judgement
you are impossible. I am done.