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Project Detail

Learning to Swim

Synopsis

In the quiet world of a quintessentially small English town but amidst the fear and uncertainty of immigration and terrorism, Ingrid offers shelter to Ahmed, a Syrian refugee who has left everything behind in his search for a new life.

Details

Year
2017
Type of project
Shorts
Running time
10 mins 19 secs
Format
Digital
Director
Ruth Grimberg
Producer
Katharine Round
Executive Producer
Executive Producer for BBC Emma Cahusac, Executive Producer for BFI Matimba Kabalika, Executive Producer for Wingspan Debbie Lee
Editor
Pinny Grylls
Director of Photography
Ruth Grimberg
Sound
Jamie Perera
Composer
Jamie Perera

Genre

Human Rights Woman Director

Categories

Documentary

Production Status

Complete

Production Company

Ruth Grimberg

53 Burghley Road
London
NW5 1UH

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Director: Ruth Grimberg

Year: 2016

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Across Still Water Across Still Water

Director: Ruth Grimberg

Year: 2014

John is 32. Diagnosed with a devastating eye condition he is gradually losing his sight. Urged by those around him to make difficult decisions he seeks solace in his love of night fishing guided by his young friend Ben in a journey requiring real patience and fortitude.

Woman Director Disabilities
Allies in Exile Allies in Exile

Director: Hasan Kattan

Year: 2026

For 14 years, Syrian filmmakers Hasan Kattan and Fadi Al-Halabi have journeyed together through war and storytelling. Their bond was forged on the frontlines of revolution where their cameras recorded terror and hope, laughter and heartbreak – moments that defined a generation. Years later, their story takes an unexpected turn. Confined inside a UK asylum hotel, Hasan and Fadi document a new chapter shaped not by bombs, but by waiting, bureaucracy, and exile. Amid rising anti-refugee hostility, they turn the camera inward exploring friendship and displacement and how filming itself becomes an act of survival when the future is so uncertain. Official Selection International Film Festival Rotterdam 2026 - World premiere

Human Rights