Olympian Yusra Mardini, whose story is the subject of Netflix's Oscar contender The Swimmers, has said she hopes the film will lead to more people helping refugees.
The Swimmers is based on the inspirational true story of sisters Sara and Yusra Mardini, who fled their war-torn home of Damascus in 2015 by boat and helped save the lives of their fellow refugees.
The film shows how just a year after their treacherous journey, younger sister Yusra competed in swimming events at the 2016 Rio Olympics as part of the Refugee Olympic Team.
Sporting an Olympic ring necklace, Yusra Mardini attended the UK premiere of The Swimmers on Sunday at the London Film Festival.
She told the PA news agency at the Royal Festival Hall: "Every time I watch the teaser or the trailer, I cry my eyes out because I never expected that my story would be portrayed like that.
"Me and my sister are very ordinary girls that just did not give up, I guess.
"I really hope that people would want to change a lot of things about refugees when they see the movie, they will be motivated to help, that the story will stay with them for a while to understand and try to help refugees all around the world.
"And of course, letting people know that these stories are still happening, that people are still taking those horrific journeys. Maybe we all can push governments to change some systems around it."
Mardini added she turned down "lots of producers" who wanted to adapt her story for the screen, but Welsh-Egyptian director Sally El-Hosaini and her British co-writer Jack Thorne were "the dream team".
"It was just so hard to say no," said Mardini. "We really trusted them and they did a great job."
"Yusra and Sara's story is incredible and as a storyteller you're pulled in and drawn into that, and it's incredible," said co-writer Thorne.
"I think we're in real trouble at the moment, in terms of the responsibility we feel as humans to the world."
Thorne said that "film can challenge people's empathy".
"Film can tell people to sit up, stand up, and particularly a film like this, which is aimed at younger people," he continued.
"If we get them and give them that feeling that they can change things, then what a good thing."
Thorne added that the film carries a "hugely important" message and hopes viewers walk away from watching it with a feeling of "responsibility".
He said: "What a refugee looks like is not necessarily what you think a refugee looks like, people are coming with immense need and we need to help them.
"I'm actually a landlord for some Syrian refugees at the moment and that's because the more I looked into this, the more I needed to do something, and if we all start doing our little bits, then the world will change.
"I think I'm quite a political person and so yes, I am trying to tell political stories as elegantly as I can."
El-Hosaini added: "Jack was just a pleasure to work with. Initially, I was just the director and he was the screenwriter, but he very quickly realised that I had so much I wanted to say that I ended up writing with him and it was just a lovely collaboration."
Sisters Nathalie and Manal Issa, who play teenagers Yusra and Sara Mardini in the film, said they felt relief when the sisters said they liked it.
Nathalie said: "Every day I had Yusra in my mind. We wanted it to be real. When they said, 'Hey, we loved it', a weight was lifted."
Manal added: "They love it. I remember when they liked it, we cried. This was the main responsibility, for them to be happy. As long as they're happy, we're happy."
The Swimmers will launch on Netflix on Wednesday 23 November.
Source: Press Association
