‘Nyad’ Filmmakers on Moving from the Documentary World to Narrative Features and Learning the Language of Actors
variety.comJenelle Riley Deputy Awards and Features Editor Directors Jimmy Chin and Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi have made a name for themselves in the documentary world as the filmmakers behind “The Rescue” and the Oscar-winning “Free Solo.” So it makes sense that their narrative feature directing debut, “Nyad,” would focus on a true story — that of marathon swimmer Diana Nyad’s attempts to swim the 110 miles from Cuba to Florida in her 60s.
Considering the pair’s history, it’s not surprising that “Nyad” is visually impressive and nails the rousing storytelling. But the directors also draw excellent performances out of their actors, particularly the trio of Annette Bening as the prickly Nyad, Jodie Foster as her friend and coach Bonnie Stoll and Rhys Ifans as navigator John Bartlett.
I spoke to the filmmaking partners — who are also married — about “Nyad,” which hits Netflix Nov. 3. Had you always hoped to direct a narrative feature and what made “Nyad” the right fit?Chai Vasarhelyi: We’re always excited to challenge ourselves, and I think we were flirting with the idea.
But we’re really interested in the stories of individuals who push the limits of what’s possible. After “Free Solo” and “The Rescue,” we were committed to exploring that question from a woman’s experience.
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