Long Distance Swimmer - Sara Mardini
Schedule
Overview
One moment champion Syrian swimmer Sara Mardini is Europe’s most celebrated refugee and humanitarian, the next she is a criminal mastermind. While her sister competes as a swimmer at the Olympics, Sara awaits trial and a possible 25-year prison sentence.
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Review
In 2015, swimmer Sara Mardini fled civil war-torn Syria with her sister Yusra. When their boat broke down on the way to Greece, the sisters jumped into the sea with two other people and swam for three and a half hours, holding on to the boat, to save the lives that escaped with them. Their incredible journey was the subject of a much-talked-about movie, but this documentary picks up where the drama left off. After settling in Germany but giving up swimming, Sara traveled to Greece and spent three years rescuing refugees. But her journey is far from over, as in 2018, she was arrested by Greek authorities and charged with international espionage and human trafficking. The film follows Sara's fight for justice and her journey of self-discovery, revealing one of the biggest changes in Europe in the last decade—the people who try to rescue refugees are bitterly met with hostility in the very places that had welcomed the refugees. (CHUN Jinsu)
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Credit
- DirectorCharly FELDMAN
- ProducerAntje BOEHMERT, Anna von DZIEMBOWSKA, Daniel DRUHORA, Drake BURNETTE
- ScreenplayCharly Wai FELDMAN
- CinematographyZamarin WAHDAT
- EditorFranziska von BERLEPSCH
- SoundPatrick DADACZYNSKI Gregory OKE
- CastSara MARDINI
Film Source
NEW DOCS⎜luisa.schwamborn@newdocs.de
Director
Charly FELDMAN
Born in Canada, raised in Vietnam, and currently based in London, UK, Charly discovered her passion for filmmaking while studying at McGill University. Her films have been broadcast around the world and featured at IDFA, Karlovy Vary, and Raindance.
