"Nyad" A story of friendship between women, told by Annette Bening and Jodie Foster

A new challenge for documentary directors

The directors are husband and wife documentary filmmaker Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin, who have been watching people trying to overcome difficult situations. They won the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature for " Free Solo " (2018), which depicts rock climber Alex Honnold climbing El Capitan in Yosemite without Rope or safety equipment. " Meru " (2015) is about the first ascent of the Shark Fin route on Meru Mountain in the Himalayas in India, and "The Rescue" (2021) depicts the rescue of a soccer team and coach trapped in a cave in Thailand.

The heroine of "Naiad" attempts to cross the Florida Straits, but unimaginable difficulties await her, including the fierce Gulf Current, sharks, and poisonous jellyfish. Some swimmers use shark cages to protect against sharks, but Naiad tries to swim through the straits without one. The film depicts the tough challenge of a truly fearless swimmer.

Born in 1949, Diana Nyad met former Olympian Jack Nelson when she was a teenager and was taught how to swim. She later studied at Lake Forest College and New York University, and in 1975, she won recognition for swimming around Manhattan Island, and in 1979, she swam from Bimini Island in the Bahamas to Florida. She gained recognition as a marathon swimmer, but failed in the long-distance swim from Cuba to Florida, and then retired at the age of 30.

The film begins with footage of the real Naiad in her younger years (on a television screen), but then quickly switches to her in her 60s, played by Annette Bening, who looks very different from the real Naiad, yet somehow feels natural.

The film "Naiad: The Determination to Cross the Sea" is now available exclusively on Netflix

Regarding this film, director Vasarhelyi said in "Entertainment Weekly" (September 29, 2013 issue) "I was very Lucky that Annette Bening accepted the role." Bening spent a year retraining her swimming skills to take on the role, and said, "When I first saw her swimming, I was impressed! It was really the perfect casting. She not only expressed the physical rigors of the role, but also the complexity of the character."

Bonnie Stoll, played by Jodie Foster, is Nyad's friend and coach, and the director commented, "Jodie's support was also great. They were both true professionals." With such wonderful actresses, he felt that "failure was not an option."

Filming in the ocean was difficult due to equipment issues and the sun's rays, so many scenes were shot in a giant tank. Two stunt doubles were also prepared to play Diana.

Bening and Foster spent a lot of time with Diana Nyad and Bonnie Stoll to research the characters and develop their roles. In addition, the director, who had previously worked with director Mike Nichols, believed that it was important to rehearse with the actors from that experience, but the actors in this production loved rehearsals, so that helped them.

The first meeting took place at Bening's home, where he met Jodie, and that was the beginning of a friendship between the two. "It was a special friendship, and the actors were so faithful to it," says the director.

Annette Bening and Jodie Foster's friendship