Join us for a free screening of The Swimmers, as part of our events to celebrate the contributions, creativity and resilience of refugees and people seeking sanctuary.

Based on a true story, The Swimmers follows the journey of two young from war-torn Syria to the 2016 Rio Olympics.

Yusra Mardini and her older sister Sara are both competitive swimmers living in Syria in 2015 who embark on a harrowing journey as refugees, putting both their hearts and champion swimming skills to heroic use.

BAFTA winner Sally El Hosaini directs and the indomitable Issa sisters star in this true story of triumph amid strife.

The screening will be followed by a panel discussion exploring some of the themes around the film.

Panel Discussion

This discussion will explore the relentless challenges faced by the Mardini sisters and those who have experienced displacement and we look at the case and charges brought by Greece against Sara Mardini and two dozen other aid worker, as well as the current UK laws around refugees/asylum seekers.

What actions can we take in our communities to create a shared understanding of compassion to ensure we are extending it widely to all?

About the Panel

Host: Dalia Al-Dujaili (pictured above)

Dalia is an Iraqi-British freelance journalist, editor, host, copywriter and producer based in London. She is mostly interested in writing and commissioning stories on emerging creativity from the SWANA region and diaspora, migrant narratives, and reporting on community-led stories from the margins. She’s filed stories and worked from Athens, Lesbos, Belfast, Dubai, New York, Paris & more.

Guest Speaker: Julie-Yara Atz (pictured above)

Julie-Yara Atz is a Syrian-Swiss hybrid filmmaker and actor, their documentary “Leaving Syria: long live the youth” following a group of friends on their way from Syria to Berlin premiered at Telluride in 2017. Julie-Yara appears as a recurring character in BBC/ITV’s series Shetland VI and is currently finishing an MA in Cultural Studies with a focus on storytelling in times of war in Syria. Cultural anomaly.

Times:

5.30pm: doors open

6pm-8.15pm: film screening

8.20-9pm: panel discussion