A long time ago, in a faraway land, lived 4 women who had dreams bigger than the eye could see! They didn’t wish to be princesses. They didn’t wish to live in a castle. They didn’t wish for prince charming.

They wished for independence, confidence, and to be seen!

This is not a fairytale or a Disney movie. These are 3 stories of exceptional women who have recently marked the entertainment industry with their achievements. Let’s celebrate them together! 

Nathalie Issa & Manal Issa

Real-life sisters and newcomers to the big screen, these actresses are the talk of the town! Starring in the sensational movie “The Swimmers” directed by Sally Al Hosaini, Nathalie & Manal portray the real story of Sara and Yusra Mardini who fled as refugees from war-torn Syria to pursue their dreams and reach the Rio Olympics 2016.

About the movie

The movie debuted in the 2022 Toronto International Film Festival, was released in movie theatres in November 2022, then streamed on Netflix on November 23rd, 2022. After being rejected by many producers when Yusra pitched her story after the Rio Olympics 2016, the movie went against all odds and came to production and was streamed on November 23rd, 2022

The movie shows the real story of the two sisters, Yusra and Sara Mardini, who decide to risk it all and flee to Germany to be able to pursue their dreams. They first flew by plane to Turkey then took a small dinghy through the Aegean Sea where they faced the brutal conditions of leaking water and dysfunctional motor. Sarah decides to jump out of the boat to lighten the weight and Yusra follows her. They swam alongside the boat and steered it to the Greek shores. They then walked and walked for many miles to take a dangerous journey through many borders to reach Germany. That’s where Yusra insisted on training for the Olympics and got to be on the refugee team for the Rio Olympics. Sarah decides to take another path and go help refugees in Greece after supporting her sister in the Rio Olympics where Yusra won the opening heat of the 100m butterfly with a time of 1 minute and 9.21 seconds in 2016.

About the actresses

Manal Issa starred in “Peur de Rien” (Fear of nothing) in the “Parisienne” in 2015.  Then was nominated for the Best Actress award at the La Nuit Des Mabrouk by the Fondation Liban Cinema (FLC). She was also nominated for the Critics Awards for Arab Films Award for her role in “The Sea Ahead” in 2021 and the Lumiere Award for the Most Promising Actress. She was part of many acclaimed movies such as Ulysses & Mona,” “Le Quatrième Mur” (The Fourth Wall), the Oscar-nominated “Memory Box,” and the multi-awarded “The Anger.”

Nathalie Issa started her career in 2018 in the short film “Unforgettable Memory of a Friend,” and continued to star in “My Favorite Fabric” in 2018 and “Sea Salt” in 2022.

Manal and Nathalie Issa are currently walking the red carpet at prestigious film festivals, where they are shining brightly with more success to come.

Reflections on the movie

As Yusra Mardini stated to Time Magazine:

“I watched the film for the first time with my sister, and we were crying and then laughing and then crying again. They did an amazing job. The two girls who played us were real sisters from Lebanon, so they understood our background.”

And Sara Mardini noted, “The film was a reminder of how strong our relationship was and how we were super close.”

These two declarations by the Mardini sisters showed how the actresses portrayed their story and relationship.

The sisters hope that the film dispels the myth that people left their home country to take advantage of the wealth of their host country.

Sara hopes that people understand that lone male refugees have "ten times the difficulties" of women and children. "They're the last ones to be checked or serviced."

Yusra always stresses the fact that the journey from a refugee to an Olympian has taught her patience. She insists on being a voice, through the movie, to millions of refugees who are trying to make a decent life away from war and violence. She competed in the Tokyo Olympics 2020. Sara is an ambassador for the UNHCR and has visited many refugee camps. 

That’s what we want to celebrate. Their story is one of resilience, facing all obstacles, and having the will and faith to make it regardless of hurdles, misjudgment, and unfairness. 

Jenna Ortega

You may know Jenna Ortega from her ground-breaking role as Wednesday Adams in the Tim Burton Netflix Original Series “Wednesday,” but the 20-year-old actress has been active since 2012.

How she started

Jenna Marie Ortega was born on September 27, 2022, in California and is the fourth child of a family of six. Jenna always wanted to become an actress. Her mom was reluctant about her pursuing an acting career at a young age. Ironically, Jenna was discovered by talent scout agents after her mother posted a video of her 9-year-old daughter reciting a monologue on Facebook. Soon after that, Jenna began going to many auditions and booked her first role in 2012 as a guest for an episode of the TV series “Rob.” She made her debut in a film playing the role of the vice president’s daughter in “Iron Man 3” and as Annie in the horror film “Insidious: Chapter 2”.

In 2014, Jenna’s career began to take off with her recurring role as Zoe Leon in the series Rake and getting cast to play the younger version of Jane in Jane the Virgin which ran from 2014 to 2019. In 2015, Jenna played the role of Darcy, one of the main casts of the Netflix Original series “Richie Rich” before landing the role of Harley Diaz in the Disney Channel sitcom “Stuck in the Middle” which aired from 2016 to 2018 and winning an Imogen Award for Outstanding Performance. She also voiced Princess Isabelle in the Disney show “Elena of Avalor.”

In 2019, Ortega joined the main cast of the Netflix psychological thriller “You” for its second season as well as starred in the Netflix black comedy horror film “The Babysitter: Killer Queen” in the following year. Jenna started to establish her presence in Hollywood with projects like the 2021 drama movie The Fallout”. The film won the Grand Jury Award at Sundance 2021 and Jenna’s acting garnered overwhelmingly positive feedback from critics and viewers. The director of the movie, Megan Park, revealed in an interview that she was always set on casting Jenna as the lead of the movie ever since meeting her when she was 17; the director thought she would be perfect for the role of Vada Cavell.

As of 2022, Jena Ortega is headed to become the ultimate scream queen of this generation as she took on roles in 4 different horror movies. She starred in “Studio 666, American Carnage,” portrayed Lorraine Day in Ti West’s slasher film X, and played Tara Carpenter in the fifth installment of the Scream franchise. She is set to reprise the role in 2023.

Where she’s at now

All this acting experience gave Jenna Ortega huge recognition and massive popularity, culminating in her being on Tim Burton’s radar. The renowned film director sent her an email asking her to audition for the series “Wednesday.” Jenna was shocked to realize that the director knew who she was, but also to see that she was chosen to audition for the role of Wednesday, a character people in her life constantly compared her to.

Jenna was still filming X in New Zealand when she had a Zoom audition for the role of Wednesday Adams. The actress had been awake for more than 24 hours shooting a scene for the film and decided to show up to the audition with stage blood, glycerin sweat in her hair, and a massive cut on her face. The young actress made quite the impression on Tim Burton and was soon cast as the main character of the Netflix series which became the third highest-viewed English-Language series on the platform, watched by 115 million households with a total of 752.52 million hours viewed (from November 23 to December 4). Her iconic performance as Wednesday was an instant classic, went viral on TikTok, created trends, and became pop culture.

Jenna Ortega keeps making strides in Hollywood, proving she’s one of the best young talents out there. With her Golden Globes 2023 Nominations, it seems like this stellar actress has only just begun.

Zendaya

Zendaya is a multitalented artist whose astonishing path has led her to become a household name as she made history by being the youngest actress to win an Emmy.

Her career and achievements

Zendaya Maree Stoermer Coleman was born on September 1, 1996. Her name derives from the Shona Tendai, which means “to give thanks”. Zendaya began her career as a fashion model for Macy’s, Mervyns, and Old Navy. She was a backup dancer in a Sears commercial that featured Selena Gomez before auditioning and booking the role of Rocky Blue in the Disney Channel sitcom Shake it Up.

Zendaya launched her music career by releasing several soundtracks for Shake it Up as well as personal singles such as “Swag it Out” and “Replay”. The actress went on to produce and star as the titular character in a second Disney channel sitcom titled “K.C. undercover” from 2015 to 2018.

As she closed the chapter of her Disney days, Zendaya began pursuing more mature roles. The real breakthrough that established her as a force to be reckoned with is her role as Rue Bennet in the critically acclaimed HBO drama Euphoria, in which Zendaya also works as an executive producer.

In 2022, Zendaya made history at the 74th Emmy Awards as her phenomenal portrayal of the 17-year-old recovering drug addict in Euphoria made her win Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series for the second time (the first time was in 2020). Zendaya became the youngest woman to win two Emmys in the same category and the first Black woman to win lead actress two times in a row.

Zendaya is the face of Beats, X-Out, Material Girl, and more. In August 2013, she released “Between U and Me: How to Rock Your Tween Years with Style and Confidence” a book to guide young girls. She released a shoe collection called “Daya” and in November 2016, she put out her clothing line “Daya by Zendaya”.

In 2018, she became a brand ambassador for Tommy Hilfiger and co-designed Tommy x Zendaya capsule collections. In the last couple of years, the actress became a spokesmodel for Lancôme, Bulgari, and Valentino. This year, she also became Glaceau Smartwater’s brand ambassador.

Her message and representations

She is known to express herself and celebrate diversity, body positivity, and women of color through her iconic fashion choices and runaway appearances in events like Paris Fashion Week. In 2015, Barbie created a doll after Zendaya’s Academy Awards look. Zendaya won the Visionary Award at the CNMI Green Carpet Fashion Awards in 2020 for promoting diversity and inclusion in fashion and film.

Zendaya is a philanthropist who’s passionate about helping underserved communities, and underprivileged schools, as well as using her social media platforms to talk about racial justice, voting, body shaming, bullying, and women’s rights. The 26-year-old has supported numerous charities and causes for the past decade; from her ambassador work for Convoy of Hope in 2012 where she encouraged fans to support Hurricane Sandy response efforts, to her project of raising 50,000$ to support Convoy’s Women’s Empowerment Initiative for her 20th birthday.

Zendaya has conquered the world of television, film, fashion, music, and philanthropy, becoming the face and voice of an entire generation.