Documentaries about swimming and water
A list of documentaries about or with relation to swimming and the culture surrounding water and the human experience in regards to this element.
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- DirectorJohn MaringouinStarsMatthew MohlkeBorut StrelMartin StrelMartin Strel attempts to cover 3,375 miles of the Amazon River, the longest continuous swim in history.
- DirectorDylan WilliamsStarsSimon StadinA humorous and poignant film about a group of middle-aged men who find unlikely success as members of Sweden's all-male synchronized swim team.
- DirectorColin K. GrayStarsViktor AgeyevAntal BolváriJános BükA documentary on the 1956 Olympic semifinal water polo match between Hungary and Russia. Held in Australia, the match occurred as Russian forces were in Budapest, stomping out a popular revolt.
- DirectorJörg AdolphA documentation about an German and an British swimmer who wants to swim over the sea-channel.
- DirectorCheryl FurjanicFollowing the journey of a group of young women as they compete for spots on the 2004 U.S. synchronized swimming team and train relentlessly to win an Olympic medal, Sync or Swim offers a uniquely intimate look at a mocked and misunderstood sport that combines artistic and athletic expression. The film also examines the media storm that threatens the team's Olympic dreams when one of its members suffers devastating injuries and faces manslaughter charges as a result of a tragic car accident. Juxtaposing scenes that are intense and emotional, uplifting and mesmerizing, quirky and entertaining, Sync or Swim is the first-ever behind the scenes documentary about the making of the U.S. Olympic Synchronized Swimming Team.
- DirectorYaron ZilbermanStarsHanni LuxJudith HaspelAnni LamplThe story of the Hakoah Vienna Jewish womens swim team of the 1930s, their forced separation, and their reunion decades later.
- DirectorBarbara GräftnerStarsUlf G. DahlmannJörg LandsiedelGünther NaumannThree Synchronized Swimmer, on their way into a female dominated sport, organizing a show, working hard to participate at the championships. Follow their path on their way to fame.
- DirectorAndy NorrisStarsChristopher Swain
- DirectorJennifer BaichwalEdward BurtynskyStarsInocencia González SainzMarcus SchubertBill NanceA documentary on how water shapes humanity.
- DirectorGrant BarbeitoChristo BrockStarsMissy FranklinKara Lynn JoyceDa FranklinSwimming superstar Missy Franklin was destined for greatness at an early age, but it wasn't until the arrival of Veteran Kara Lynn Joyce that those sky-high expectations began to take shape.
- DirectorChris InnisStarsMichael HertzbergTed ZacharyBob HornA documentary about the making of the cult film The Swimmer (1968).
- DirectorBrian EdelmanSean KeeganLuke KorverStarsBob BowmanIan CrockerMichael Phelps"Unfiltered" is an unprecedented look into the lives and competitive rivalry of two of America's greatest swimmers: Michael Phelps and Ian Crocker. Phelps, 20, is already considered the best swimmer of all time and has been virtually uncontested in all of his races; expect one. In 2003 Ian Crocker stormed the swimming world and took home the world title and World Record in the 100 Butterfly beating Michael Phelps in the process. After Ian lowered his World Record at the Olympic Trials, Michael took the one that counts - Olympic Gold in Athens in 2004. While growing up in Baltimore, Michael had one stable home: the swimming pool. After 8 Gold medals in Athens, Michael is acclimating to his new life as a worldwide celebrity as he balances a demanding schedule both in and out of the water. From commercials and photo shoots to award shows and celebrity appearances, Michael is embracing his new life as the world's most recognized swimmer, all while continuing to train every day. Despite it all, when he heads back to his new home in Ann Arbor he still is just another freshman at the University of Michigan. For Crocker, things couldn't be more different. Ian has settled back into his life in Austin, Texas. The mild-mannered and soft-spoken "Austinite" trains with little distraction except when he his playing his guitar or restoring his 1971 Buick Riviera. Distinctly different, yet revealingly similar in their desire to win, these two premiere competitors and friends gear up to meet again at this year's World Championships this summer in Montreal.
- DirectorPeter KerekesA documentary film about the Kosice swimming pool where history came to bathe. Seen through several stories which unfolded between the years 1936 and 2002, the film captures 66 seasons at the popular swimming pool, and the same number of years in the history of Central and Eastern Europe.
- DirectorGregor JordanStarsIan ThorpeBen McCormackAn inside look at the life of Ian Thorpe, his return to professional swimming and journey to the 2012 London Olympics.
- DirectorJérémie BattagliaStarsClaudia HolznerMarie-Lou MorinMeng ChenPerfect follows the Canadian synchronised swimming team beyond the beauty, to the brawn it takes to qualify for Rio 2016.
- DirectorLeni RiefenstahlStarsDavid AlbrittonArvo AskolaJack BeresfordThe document of the 1936 Olympics at Berlin.
- DirectorJohn ChaplinJohn ChatawayDean GilchristStarsIan ThorpeIan Thorpe 'Beneath The Suit' DVD is an interactive, sports info-tainment product that provides an accurate, informative insight into one of the greatest swimming champions of all time.
- DirectorCheryl FurjanicStarsDavid BoudiaJimmy CarterSergei ChalibashviliFeature-length documentary about the greatest diver of all time. Four-time Olympic champion Greg Louganis has faced more than his share of challenges. In 2011, he is far from the public eye and struggling to pay his mortgage. Now, the openly gay, HIV+ world-class athlete returns to diving to mentor the USA Olympic hopefuls. This may be his best chance to regain the notoriety -- and financial stability -- he enjoyed at the height of his career.
- DirectorRose KowalskiA sensual portrait of an urban community that explores human desires, ambitions and fragility through the daily activities of a swimming club.
- DirectorJeffrey McKayStarsLynne CoxBuster CrabbeRuth De GravesA history of swimming as a heroic pastime, as recreation and liberation, as meditation and political statement, from classical antiquity to the Hollywood of Johnny Weissmuller and Esther Williams.
- DirectorMark LewisStarsChris CarverEsther WilliamsBianca
- DirectorLara StolmanSWIM TEAM chronicles the overwhelming struggles and extraordinary triumphs of 3 young athletes with autism and shows how a swim team can bring hope to a community.
- DirectorJennifer GalvinA documentary about the paradox of Bahamian islanders not knowing how to swim.
- DirectorChristopher RufoStarsMavis AlbinKris AllisonReynaldo AparicioAthletes prepare for the 2009 National Senior Games: a 100-year old tennis player from Cape Cod, brothers from Washington, D.C., in their 80s who swim, a Texas widower who finds solace in training, and his rival, an 86-year-old champion in field events intent on the world's record in the pole vault for persons over 80. A women's basketball team from Louisiana is hair-dos and drawls off the court, but tigers on. We watch the athletes train, they talk about why they compete, family members and friends comment. One of the brothers undergoes cancer treatment. Then it's on to San Francisco to go for the gold.
- DirectorSteven SanderAt 21 miles wide and very, very cold, the English Channel is regarded the world over as one of the ultimate swimming challenges. Achieving such a goal can push both mind and body to their limits and sometimes beyond. Two Swimmers explores the bond between a young athlete and his coach as they attempt to swim the Channel in the summer of 2005, and the dramatic events that follow.
- DirectorKatja Roberts
- DirectorMargaret DickinsonDocumentary on open water swimming with a focus on the ponds of London's Hampstead Heath and the public campaign to keep them open. It links this local dispute with wider issues of public access.
- DirectorLeni RiefenstahlStarsSheigo AraiJack BeresfordRalf BerzsenyiThe document of the 1936 Olympics at Berlin, orchestrated as Nazi propaganda.
- DirectorMolly BuschPatty BuschStarsAugie BuschFrank BuschRick DeMontWhat are the world's best swimmers doing when they're not training to make an Olympic team? Many of them are going to college and representing an American university, where the groundwork is laid for the fastest swimming in the world. At the University of Arizona, a team of world-class swimmers has captured every prize possible: world records, individual national championships and Olympic medals. Yet one accomplishment eludes them: the team title at the Division I NCAA National Championships. Between the Water and Wood chronicles a season in the life of these elite level athletes who vow to bring their coaches a team ring. A compelling close-up of the final frontier of amateur sports, the film tells the story of five college students and their teammates who train as hard as they compete. In this touching documentary, the athletes - along with their families and coaches - shape a film with heart and soul as well as strength and speed. Their success will depend on many pieces of the rigorous process: recruiting, dry land training, intense water drills and making the time standards to qualify for the final competition. As the season unfolds, the viewer takes on the athletes' passion for a winning finale. The emotional outcome of heartbreak and triumph surpasses everyone's expectations, including the filmmakers. Between the Water and the Wood profiles an exploding international sport and delivers an appealing punch that will leave film lovers of all ages delighted and satisfied.
- DirectorManuel TeraStarsMiguel López AlvaradoCheran De SilvaDavid EscolarA feature length documentary about the struggle of a group of swimmers from developing nations trying to qualify for the Olympic Games for the first time. A story about pursuing your dreams and overcoming adversity.
- DirectorStefan StuckertStefan StuckertStarsBeth FrenchDylan FrenchElla HewtonAn extraordinary woman attempts to complete the world's most extreme swimming challenge. As her incredible journey unfolds, dangers of the sea prove easier to conquer than upheavals of the heart.
- DirectorChristian de RezendesStarsKevin FoleyJerry ChristianMichael ChristianThis inspirational documentary profiles the life of Matthew G. Christian (1983-2009), known as 'Matty' from the town of Canton, Massachusetts, who was born without a full set of arms and legs and without a tongue. As told through interviews with his parents Allie and Jerry, brother Michael and several close friends and authority figures throughout his life, 'Raising Matty Christian' paints a portrait of an inspiring young man who never took no for an answer and set out to live life to the fullest.
- DirectorAndy CockrumMatt CookChantz HooverStarsDavid BroylesRush VannTo raise funds and awareness for disabled veterans of the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, Air Force veteran David Broyles and Army officer Rush Vann attempt to become only the 16th and 17th Americans to swim across the Strait of Gibraltar, from Spain to Africa. Fewer Americans have accomplished their challenge than have climbed Mount Everest.
- DirectorBrett DrogmundHoward HannaStarsAmy AukstikalnisJorge BalbasBrendan Capell6 swimmers from around the globe attempt to swim from Europe to Africa. A world champion swimmer, a CEO, a cancer patient, a heart attack survivor, an Olympian and a college professor whose lifelong dream has always been to swim the Strait of Gibraltar. Jetlagged, exhausted and somewhat under prepared, we follow the stories of these swimmers as they battle the freezing elements across two continents. Dodging huge shipping tankers while trying to reach unfriendly Moroccan border agents is just the beginning. This mental and physical "marathon in the dark" will test everyone with surprising results. Produced and Directed by Brett Drogmund and Howard Hanna. Edited by Howard Hanna.
- DirectorDaniel van der MolenStarsNigel ReidNige Reid is 52, overweight and finds it increasingly difficult to motivate himself to keep fit. He just happens to enjoy dipping his ample torso in the freezing cold water of South London's Tooting Bec Lido in the winter months, often in a vain attempt to cure a hangover. Part travelogue, part documentary, 'Swim, Santa, Swim' sees Nige play the role of somewhat reluctant guinea pig as he prepares his uncooperative body for the 450 metre endurance event at the World Cold Water Swimming Championships, hosted by Santa's home town of Rovaniemi in the Arctic circle. Join Nige as he meets an array of ice swimming veterans who offer him sage advice on how best to keep body and soul unseperated...
- DirectorStan JakubowiczStarsAlia AtkinsonRoy BurchElvis BurrowsWhen reality is bigger than the myth.
- DirectorBrian T. BrownBrian T. BrownStarsShirley BabashoffWendy BoglioliJulianna MarguliesNarrated by Emmy-winner Julianna Margulies, The Last Gold is a feature-length documentary film that reveals one of the greatest untold stories in Olympic swimming history. Forty years ago, at the 1976 Montreal Games, a team of doped East German athletes thrashed their rivals from the United States, until a remarkable final race. The central player was a transcendent American athlete denied her due and since lost in time: Shirley Babashoff. Babashoff and her teammates were surrogates in a Cold War struggle, who battled a tragic conspiracy with a blazing honesty and a ferocious, endless tenacity. In 1976, the U.S. Olympic swim team entered the Games in Montreal looking forward to its usual dominance. The men did not disappoint, delivering the most dominant performance in Olympic swimming history. They won every race but one, and in that race won the silver and bronze medals. For the women, it was a completely different story. They were overwhelmed by an East German machine that had emerged on the world stage leading up to the Games with frighteningly fast performances. In a competition where 15 American records were set, the U.S. women had only four silver medals and one bronze medal to show for it. After an entire competition of disappointing results, winning no races and facing a critical media that heaped on additional pressure, the U.S. women finally came together to do as a team what they could not do individually. It was the final race when four women stepped to the blocks in an attempt to do what nobody thought possible... win The Last Gold. This is their story.
- DirectorPaul Carvalho
- DirectorVerónica Schneck
- DirectorMichael CordellAna KokkinosStarsAnnette KellermanAnthony SlideFrank ThompsonStory of Annette Kellerman, the international swimming vaudeville and silent screen star whose life story inspired the MGM classic Million Dollar Mermaid starring Esther Williams, which featured lavish Busby Berkeley scenes.
- DirectorKate WebberThe inspiring true story of an accomplished open water swimmer's attempt to become the first woman to swim 30 miles through a stretch of cold, rough and shark-inhabited waters off of the San Francisco coast.
- DirectorEmma HarpinStephanie KeelanIn 1875, Captain Matthew Webb - with little more than some brandy, beer and beef tea to keep him going - became the first man to successfully swim from England to France. Since then more people have conquered Everest than successfully swum across the Channel. To this day, it remains the ultimate open water swimming challenge. This documentary tells the story of those who keep Captain Webb's vision alive - the volunteer coaches and the unlikeliest of athletes who they tirelessly support in their dream to swim from England to France. The rules are simple - no physical aids, no wimp/wet suits, just a swimsuit, goggles, the all-important swimming cap and a spot of grease to stop the chafing. At the heart of the community are pensioners Freda, Irene and Barry. They can be found in Dover every weekend from May to September come rain or shine, ready to train, feed and grease the wannabe Channel swimmers. The swimmers do not take on this arduous journey alone, and also rely on the skill of the pilots who navigate them safely to the other side of the busiest shipping lane in the world. The community share their highs and lows both in and out of the water as they train together on this small stretch of pebbled beach shadowed by the ferry port. Feasting on jelly babies, and fuelled by adrenalin and dreams, the modern-day swimmer continues to risk it all in this, the ultimate challenge of man versus nature.
- DirectorStephen FellAmanda SalemThis movie follows California deaf athletes Jazmin Hernandez and Matt Klotz, both 15 on the road to the most unique, yet underfunded, sporting event in the world. A groundbreaking look at the state of deaf culture, the film unveils a deeply-rooted deaf world that Matt and Jazmin never knew existed.
- DirectorJoseph WalshStarsHarry WismerFlorence ChadwickAfter her 1950 record-breaking swim of the English Channel over the "easy route" from France to England, England's Florence Chadwick, "Queen of the English Channel," began her diligent training to swim the channel over the harder opposite-direction route from England to the Continent. She swan constantly in Miami, Florida in the winter months, prior to her attempt, and also practiced daily, after moving her training camp, at a Catskill resort in New York. Her attempt at the reverse direction, was successful and made her the first woman to swim the channel in both directions.
- 2013– 24mTV-14TV EpisodeDirectorRouven BlankenfeldStarsNoel BrownSteven MunatonesAnn RedmondStephen Redmond has already achieved to swim six channels and straits in six oceans. But only the seventh channel, the Tsugaru Strait between the Japanese main island and Hokkaido, will make him the first man to swim the iconic Seven Oceans. A death defying swim of 14 hours in 12°C cold open sea.
- DirectorDavid Lee
- DirectorRonaldas BuozisRokas DarulisStarsRuta MeilutyteThe documentary film "Ruta" tells about one of the most accomplished Lithuanian athletes, revealing the backstage of her daily workout, work routine and preparation for the race process.
- CreatorLawrence BaslawMaëlle DancauseJeff FeeneyStarsRobert RicottaBehind the Board follows the Canadian diving team through their quest to qualify at the 2016 Rio Olympics. Drawing on footage from two international competitions, this four-episode TV series follows themes of the Olympic dream, power and precision, partnership and teamwork, and the struggle to own the podium.
- DirectorJack BrightHave you ever taken a cold shower? Well imagine that cold shower and you are on the way to understanding the sensation you feel from plunging yourself into icy cold water. Since the time of ancient Greece cold water has been much revered and throughout the ages it has often been used in healing practices. Today winter swimming is both an adrenaline sport and a lifestyle choice. The winter water appeals to a broad range of people and even attracts expectant mothers. In this film we meet some of the characters from a winter swimming club and find out more about the body's ability to withstand one of natures harshest elements - cold water!
- DirectorSuzanne RaesStarsFemke HeemskerkRanomi KromowidjojoSharon van RouwendaalIn this documentary five Dutch elite swimmers are followed during their "Road to Rio". In preperation for the 2016 Rio Olympic they work hard for every millisecond. The smallest details make the difference between winning the gold or nothing, between winning or losing.
- DirectorPatrick McLennanSamuel SmithIn a world of constant flux and chaos, it's almost a shock to discover some experiences remain unchanged, natural, primitive even. In the middle of London lies Hampstead Heath, 320 hectares of forest, parkland and wildlife, plus three swimming ponds. People take the waters in them all year round, just as they did in the time of Keats and Constable. Capturing all the beauty of the English seasons, Patrick McLennan and Samuel Smith filmed the swimmers over 12 months as they shivered, laughed, complained, ruminated, philosophised or simply sought respite from all that life threw at them. The Ponds is a heart-warming celebration of eccentricity and sheer bloody-mindedness as these unusual people, united by a shared passion, meet to take on whatever the weather - and life - throws at them.
- DirectorThomas Beug
- DirectorKita BauchetLes Marolles, a working class district in central Brussels, just a stone's throw from the flea market. Built in 1949, inaugurated in 1953, the Baths continue to offer two swimming pools and public showers. A fabulous melting-pot, locals come to recharge their batteries, train, chat, find a sense of peace.
- DirectorForest BakkerVíctor EscribanoStarsEnhamed EnhamedFrancisco Utrera Anton9 time Paralympic medalist Enhamed Enhamed accepts Iron Man finisher Fran Utrera's challenge of swimming together across the Strait of Gibraltar.
- DirectorDimitra BabadimaA man falls into the sea to swim 140 kilometers/ His dream is to put Kastellorizo, the easternmost island of Europe, back on the Greek map. This journey will teach us how to succeed until we fail and how to start fighting once we fail and until we succeed again.
- DirectorDamian VisserStarsDan CantaDavid CantaDoina CantaFrom a dark, stony beach, at the foot of the white cliffs of Dover, sixteen year old Dan Canta begins his epic journey as he attempts one of the toughest open water swims in the world - the English Channel.
- DirectorFelipe KowalczukIn September 2011, on a cold and gray week, the swimmer Marcelo Collet awaits permission from the Coast Guard to carry out the biggest challenge of his life. After two years of preparation, he's going to try to swim the English Channel, considered the 'Everest' of swimming in open waters. Due to the weather, his chances of getting in the water and facing the twelve hours that separate England and France are getting smaller and smaller. During the days of waiting, we learn about what this athlete has had to overcome, since at 17 he was run over during a cycling practice right after his first summons to be a part of the Brazilian Triathlon squad, losing a considerable amount of movement in his left leg. After being run over, Collet devoted himself heart and soul to swimming and competed in the Paralympic Games in Athens and Beijing. Today, at age 35, he has returned to triathlons and is preparing to compete at the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games. A Totally Independent documentary.
- DirectorMysterexStarsEd AccuraJigisha AwuahLolita AwuahA Film Called Blacks Can't Swim" is a film documentary about a Black Briton whose fears and anxiety of not being able to swim and drowning is dramatized as he battles with the stereotypes set by society.
- DirectorMaya Lussier-SéguinTheir names are Jean, Yvette, Gabriel and Christiane. De Gaulle famously said: "Old age is a shipwreck". Although they may be his contemporaries, this statement does not quite apply to those four swimmers. At 78, 88 or even 101 years old, they're still determined to break new records in competitive swimming. In their film, Maya Lussier-Seguin and Pierre-Olivier François have portrayed these four champions of the Masters category across today's France during the 2014/2015 sporting season. They share a passion for swimming. And that's how they rise above their old age and the difficulties that a youth-filled society would rather forget all about. As they go about their training, they speak about solitude and how to best avoid it, about the hurdles of life and how they overcame them, about our society that neglects or dismisses our elders and how they deal with it all. In Strasbourg, Mulhouse or in the suburbs of Paris, in a swimming pool, at a pottery class or during a family reunion, they dispense their mental and physical strengths, their discipline, their optimism that allow them to last and outlast everyone. Swim for Life is a documentary about seniors both extraordinary and ordinary, both bearing the weight of a long history and staunchly looking towards the future. Unassuming swimmers in their lane, until, to everyone's surprise, they climb once again on the podium and break a new record for France, Europe or the World. And that's where we rediscover their incredible "joie de vivre".
- DirectorCoco SchrijberIn How to Meet a Mermaid, the sea becomes a haven for mankind, locked in its struggle with its 'indifferent universe'. Lex, Rebecca, and Miguel each have their own reasons to lay their lives in the hands of the capricious waters. The question remains, however, whether they will find what they so anxiously seek underneath the surface of the waters.
- DirectorJared McGilliardIf the mind is strong it can take the body anywhere. - Ben Lecomte The Swim is about Ben Lecomte's unprecedented attempt to survive the 5,500+ mile gauntlet from Japan to San Francisco. His mission - to be the first man to swim across the Pacific and show the world the affect humans are having on our oceans. Ben and his crew faced countless challenges including typhoons, sharks, equipment failure and far more plastic than they ever could have imagined.
- StarsIan ThorpeCody SimpsonBronte CampbellA peek inside the life of an Olympic swimmer through the eyes of reigning champion Kyle Chalmers, two-time Olympian Bronte Campbell, retired Olympic hero Ian Thorpe and aspiring Olympian and global music superstar Cody Simpson. Head Above Water chronicles the personal lives and athletic careers of these four Australian icons.
- StarsBen LecomtePaul LecomteYoav NevoBen Lecomte, the long distance swimmer, makes a historic swim across the Pacific Ocean along with the Seeker boat crew and research team, to collect data and raise awareness about our ocean's health.
- DirectorBrett RapkinStarsJeremy BloomDavid BoudiaSasha CohenA look at the mental health challenges Olympic athletes often face.
- DirectorLis BartlettStarsJames BallardCharlie BartelMauro BordovskyIn 1982, soon after the first Gay Games, 'West Hollywood Swim Club,' as it was known then, registered as the first openly gay masters swim and water polo club. This feature documentary film follows their battle for acceptance: from their humble beginnings, to how these men and women have become a renowned force fighting injustice in the world of competitive sports.
- DirectorOlivier JourdainStarsDusabe VestineKunyaza is the name for the technique through which Rwandese women manage to ejaculate. In this tiny African country female orgasm is a matter of honor for men. This documentary, led by a young woman who is a radio star, offers a trip through the villages to recover, with humor and spontaneity, old local traditions about this culture of feminine pleasure: a millennial art that, however, some try to eradicate.
- DirectorHannah StormIn the early 1980's, Auburn University boasted three superstar athletes who would become among the most famous names in the history of their sports. There was Charles Barkley, there was Bo Jackson, and then, there was Ambrose "Rowdy" Gaines IV. And the story of what Rowdy overcame during his time at Auburn, and in the years to follow, speaks to what he learned there and how the school, and its legendary coach Richard Quick, impacted the life of an Olympic champion. Gaines was the best freestyle swimmer, not just in the college ranks, but the world when the United States boycotted the 1980 Olympics. The boycott devastated him, but he came back to be named SEC Athlete of the Year in 1981, beating out Herschel Walker. Training under Quick - Gaines, one of the elder statesmen of the team, came back to win an upset gold over German favorite Michael Gross in 1984 and two more in the relays. In the years since, Gaines has been swimming's greatest ambassador as a broadcaster, while also continuing to dominate competition in masters racing. There has never been anyone in the sport quite like him, and Rowdy himself has long said, Auburn is where he grew "from a boy to a man."
- DirectorMaite AlberdiStarsMauricio RodríguezLucas AcuñaTeresa GuerrecheaMauricio is a lifeguard who tries to steer clear from getting in the water, he believes that a good professional applies preventive measures to stop people from drowning, so he tries to make everything run according to his rules. The problem is that those who come to the beach in the summer want to forget that during the year someone tells them what to do. Nobody wants to do what they're told and he doesn't want to risk his life for them. Everyone is exposed, watching the events and tragedies that take place on the Beach.
- DirectorTimothy WheelerStarsDiana NyadJohnny CarsonCandace HoganSwimmer Diana Nyad comes out of a thirty year retirement to swim non-stop from Cuba to Florida. Nyad's adventure to life as she sets out to prove that will and determination are all you need to make the unimaginable possible.
- DirectorSusanne Schulz
- DirectorSandra KaudelkaI WILL NOT LOSE is a documentary about four former world record sports stars and Olympic medal winners of the former German Democratic Republic now living a regular life. How were they able to survive in a system that did not care about individuality, fairness and health?
- DirectorLouis DupontStarsJean-Philippe FranquevilleTom GodefroyFabrice PayanIn Paris, three gay athletes train hard to take part in the Eurogames synchronized swimming event.
- StarsMichael PhelpsFollows the Olympic swimmer taking a look back at his career.
- DirectorAlison EllwoodStarsPascal BernabeGido BraaseMatt BrisenoSuffering from scoliosis as a teenager, Audrey Mestre found freedom in the ocean. Years later, she discovered another reason to love the water: the elusive, often raucous free diver Pipin Ferreras. As Mestre follows Ferreras's almost spiritual quest to push his limits underwater, she moves from supporter to ardent free diver to world-class competitor. Then a challenge from a rival pushes the couple to the brink of what is possible, both above and below the surface.
- StarsRyan LochteFour years after Ryan Lochte's scandal at the 2016 Olympics, the father of two tries once more to make his way onto the U. S. Olympic team and prove he isn't the same man he once was.
- DirectorTom WeidlingerStarsPete SeegerChristopher SwainChristopher Swain is the first person to swim the entire length of the Hudson River from the Adirondack Mountains to New York City. Swain's remarkable feat links together stories of the river and the people who are fighting to protect it.
- DirectorLisa LaxNancy Stern WintersDara Torres pushed boundaries for both her gender and age, breaking records and forging new paths for women. However, underneath the success was a relentless mounting pressure to look a certain way. A star swimmer at the University of Florida, Torres won nine SEC individual championships, was named SEC Athlete of the Year in 1988 and earned 28 All-American swimming honors - the maximum possible during a college career - all while living with a severe eating disorder. Bulimic during her time at Florida, Torres speaks about this experience on-camera for the first time in-depth. Her journey is not uncommon, just rarely talked about, and highlights the dangers of competing at the highest levels and pushing the limits, both physically and psychologically. Torres would go on to win 12 Olympic medals over a 25-year span, participating in five Olympic Games. As a veteran swimmer and mother, her 2008 Olympic comeback is legendary, when at age 41, she became the oldest swimmer to win an Olympic medal. Now, she is an important role model for all collegiate and Olympic athletes, having navigated the difficult transition from elite athlete to a successful life after sport.
- DirectorSupriyo SenKanai Chakraborty, a blind swimmer who successfully completed the worlds longest swimming competition in the Ganges River wants to demonstrate the power of disabled people by challenging sports.
- DirectorDerek ElzStarsHenry BiggsJack BiggsMichael Brown Sr.Beneath the fury of Ferguson unrest an affable professor dedicates his life to actionable, peaceful change while attempting the grueling triple crown of ultra-marathon swimming.
- DirectorMysterexStarsAdrian IfillAlice DearingAnne Chable-AndreeBlacks Can't Swim REWIND follows two separate stories - that of both a 15-year-old boy and a girl. Both struggle with the effects of the stigmas and stereotypes that have helped shaped the narrative and thought process as to why a disproportionate number of Black and Asians in England do not swim. Javell is a 15-year-old boy, from a low socioeconomic background struggling with general direction and motivation of realistic career and life choices. He is presented with a career choice that could change his life forever, but will his disengagement with swimming be an obstacle? Tyra is a 15-year-old girl from a middle-class background who has swum all her life and has the prospect of becoming an elite swimmer. Now, however, she is experiencing social, emotional and physical changes, which are making her consider walking away from swimming altogether. Blacks Can't Swim: REWIND is an evolution of Blacks Can't Swim: The Sequel, and the original film documentary, A Film Called Blacks Can't Swim, which included interspersed interview footage and animation about Accura's own fear of water, which eventually led to him taking swim lessons.
- DirectorAdan BonetStarsOna CarbonellIris Tió CasasBerta Ferreras
- DirectorElín HansdóttirAnna Rún TryggvadóttirHanna Björk ValsdóttirStarsSnorri MagnússonIn Iceland, infants are dunked underwater, encouraged to fall off diving boards, and precariously balanced in the hand of their instructor. Snorri Magnússon teaches this unconventional swim class where no one is too young to learn.
- DirectorCharly Wai FeldmanStarsBarack ObamaViktor OrbánEnissa AmaniWhen former pro swimmer Sara and her sister Yusra arrived in Germany from war-torn Syria they were Europe's most celebrated refugees. Now Sara is facing a 20-year prison sentence for volunteering with a Greek NGO, helping other refugees.
- DirectorPaola SuhonenThe documentary follows a 93-year-old Erkki Makkonen as he prepares for Winter Swimming World Championships that will take place in Siberia, Russia. Erkki has only visited Russia once before - in 1943. "Then we went armed with guns, now I am only armed with my swim trunks", Erkki summarizes the philosophy of his journey. The documentary follows Erkki's travel preparations in a sleepy little village of Savonranta. Erkki is a well-known sight at the river rapids located in the center of the village. He walks to the rapids daily with his walker in order to swim to keep himself fit to race. This eight-time world champion, who also currently holds the title, looks to the future with confidence: " Even though times now are hard in Finland, we will stand back up again and we will rise. I look forward to the future. Next, I could try mountaineering, ", Erkki ponders. This film is a story about sisu - Finnish concept maybe best translated as a stoic resoluteness in the face of adversity - and lust for life and holes in the ice. And a little bit about love too.
- DirectorSara RistoriStarsFederica PellegriniDocumentary that covers Federica Pellegrini's career and her preparation in the last 300 days before the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.
- DirectorMegan WennbergSenior artistic swimmers push physical, emotional and societal boundaries as they prepare for the U.S. Masters Artistic Swimming Championships.
- DirectorLuchina FisherStarsAnn E SmithMadeline Murphy RabbDerrick Q MilliganIn the short documentary film TEAM DREAM we meet close friends Ann Smith and Madeline Murphy Rabb in their final days of preparation for the 2022 National Senior Games. While they train, we learn about their lives growing up amid segregation and stigma before breaking boundaries in their adopted hometown Chicago. A decade after joining Team Dream, a Chicago-based organization training women of color in swimming, biking and triathlon, the two women continue to reach goals they never thought possible. When Misha, a former Division I swimmer, helps them with their starts and turns, the women help her find her way outside the pool. The film culminates with Ann and Madeline competing at the games in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. TEAM DREAM shows you're never too old to dream.
- DirectorTamás Zákonyi S.Ottó Ifj. ElekStarsTony AzevedoPéter BirosAlessandro CampagnaThe story of the Hungarian men's national water polo team who won three Olympic gold medals in a row between 2000 and 2008.
- DirectorJonathan JoeiAfter losing the 2019 Junior Olympics in an overtime shootout, the Harvard-Westlake Wolverines must prove that they can overcome their mistakes if they want another run at the championship.
- DirectorGiorgio MolteniDocumentary about the centenary history of Pro Recco, best Waterpolo team in the World.
- DirectorBrian TremmlTommy HainesStarsDan D'AddonaRowdy GainesTaylor GarciaEvery four years, swimming is thrust into the international spotlight as the most popular sport in the Olympics. In the years between, thousands of American swimmers train relentlessly outside of the public's eye, chasing the elusive dream of winning a gold medal at the Olympics. Their journey culminates in one of the harshest events in sports-the Olympic Trials-where the outcome of a race decided by mere tenths of a second has the power to define success or failure. THE WATER IS MY SKY dives deep into the world of elite competitive swimming through the lives of three swimmers swept up in the hunt for a shot at Olympic glory. As they endure heartbreaking setbacks and soaring triumphs, each swimmer grapples with the underlying meaning behind their pursuit, revealing the true spirit of ordinary individuals chasing extraordinary dreams. To be released May 21, 2021.
- DirectorTito RodríguezStarsNelson BrudisAlexandra BurgosEdwin CanarioThe story of Dominican Paralympic swimmer Patricio López.