The story of the Syrian Olympic swimmer who fled her country during the war and who, together with her sister, saved the raft with which they had left Turkey to reach Lesbos. Her subsequent involvement as a cooperant in the Moria camp led to her being arrested and charged with illegal human trafficking, and facing a 25-year prison sentence, still pending trial.
Charly W. Feldman
Writer, producer and documentary filmmaker based in London UK. She has a background producing current affairs films, many with international distribution. Her work includes The Talwars – a four-part HBO series, and This is Exile: Diaries of Child Refugees, which premiered at IDFA and won the Amnesty International Award in 2016. More recently, Charly produced the climate change musical road trip documentary the Great Green Wall, and created a series called Inside the Cryptokingdom exploring the world of cryptocurrencies and blockchain technology. Long Distance Swimmer: Sara Mardini is her first feature documentary, shot over nearly four years following former Syrian swimmer and activist Sara Mardini after she is accused of human smuggling, money laundering and espionage. Charly is the recipient of the 2020 Malik Bendjelloul Memorial Fund, has served as a jury member for Royal Television Society and is a member of Brown Girls Doc Mafia.