Award-Winning Film · UNAOC PLURAL+ · 2021
Yusra Mardini | Animated Short Film
An animated short on Yusra Mardini — the Syrian refugee who swam beside a sinking dinghy to save others, and went on to the Olympics.
Role
Director · Animator
Year
2021
Type
Animated Short · Migration
Festival
UNAOC PLURAL+
Also
YoungArts
The Idea
One life, an entire crisis
An animated short telling the story of Yusra Mardini, the Syrian refugee who swam beside a sinking dinghy to save fellow passengers and went on to compete as an Olympic swimmer. Created for the UNAOC PLURAL+ Youth Video Festival (and connected to YoungArts), it celebrates resilience, displacement, and the refugee experience through one extraordinary life.
PLURAL+
UNAOC Youth Video Festival — migration & inclusion
Refugee
A story about belonging, told through animation
One person’s courage can reshape how we see an entire crisis.
The Film
Watch the films
Reflection
Reflection
Animating Yusra Mardini’s story let me hold onto its emotional core — the moment a teenager chose to keep others alive — without flinching from how harrowing the journey was. I was drawn to her because she refuses to be defined only as a refugee; she’s an athlete, a survivor, and an advocate. Sharing the work through PLURAL+, a festival built around migration and inclusion, felt like the right home for a story about belonging, and it reminded me that one person’s courage can reshape how we see an entire crisis.