Nathalie Issa, left, as Yursa, and Manal Issa as Sarah in a scene from The Swimmers.LAURA RADFORD/The Canadian Press
The Swimmers, a movie about two sisters fleeing Syria, will be the opening night gala presentation at the Toronto International Film Festival.
The film from director Sally El Hosaini is based on the true story of the Mardini sisters, who were forced to swim for hours alongside their overloaded boat to reach Greece from Turkey in 2015.
El Hosaini says the film, which is produced by Working Title and Netflix, is a good fit for a city as diverse as Toronto.
Previous opening night films include Dear Evan Hansen and Once Were Brothers: Robbie Robertson and the Band.
TIFF has been rolling out its lineup one at a time this year, rather than announcing it all at once.
The festival runs from Sept. 8 to 18.
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