# Nyad
**Nyad** is a 2023 American biographical drama directed by [Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi](https://www.edgepedia.org/elizabeth-chai-vasarhelyi) and [Jimmy Chin](https://www.edgepedia.org/jimmy-chin), their first narrative feature after a career in documentary filmmaking. It stars [Annette Bening](https://www.edgepedia.org/annette-bening) as marathon swimmer Diana Nyad and Jodie Foster as her best friend and coach Bonnie Stoll, and dramatizes Nyad's pursuit, beginning at age 60, of a roughly 110-mile open-ocean swim from Cuba to Florida without a shark cage.[1](https://media.netflix.com/en/only-on-netflix/81447231) The film opened in select United States theaters on October 20, 2023 and began streaming on Netflix on November 3, 2023.[2](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/nyad)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Directors | Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin, Oscar winners for the documentary *Free Solo*; *Nyad* is their narrative directorial debut[1](https://media.netflix.com/en/only-on-netflix/81447231) |
| Cast | Annette Bening as Diana Nyad, Jodie Foster as Bonnie Stoll, Rhys Ifans as navigator John Bartlett[2](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/nyad) |
| Source material | Screenplay by Julia Cox, adapted from Nyad's memoir *Find a Way*[1](https://media.netflix.com/en/only-on-netflix/81447231) |
| Release | Limited theatrical release October 20, 2023; Netflix streaming November 3, 2023; runtime 2 hours 1 minute; rated PG-13[2](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/nyad) |
| Real swim depicted | Nyad completed the Cuba-to-Florida crossing on her fifth attempt in 2013, at age 64, in about 53 hours[3](https://www.axios.com/local/miami/2023/09/01/swimmer-diana-nyad-past-questioned-again-movie) |
| Ratification status | The World Open Water Swimming Association declined to ratify the swim as unassisted; the Marathon Swimmers Federation recognizes it as an assisted swim; Guinness World Records revoked its recognition[4](https://www.ebsco.com/articles/history/64ca802b-c818-5d39-ac6f-f3cbe641dde6/the-deeper-story-behind-netflix-s-nyad/) |
| Awards | 2024 Academy Award nominations for Bening (Best Actress) and Foster (Best Supporting Actress)[5](https://www.blackbearpictures.com/film-and-tv/nyad) |
## Spoilers
### Story and subject
The film picks up on Nyad's 60th birthday, three decades after she gave up marathon swimming for a career as a sports journalist, including work as a commentator for ABC's *Wide World of Sports*. She becomes determined to complete the swim that eluded her in youth, a crossing often called the "Mount Everest" of swims, and trains for it over a four-year journey with Stoll and a dedicated sailing team.[1](https://media.netflix.com/en/only-on-netflix/81447231) • [6](https://time.com/6330894/nyad-movie-true-story-netflix/)
The real Nyad first attempted the Cuba-to-Florida swim in 1978 at age 28 and failed; she made headlines in the 1970s for swimming around Manhattan Island before returning to the Florida Straits decades later.[7](https://www.netflix.com/tudum/articles/nyad-questions-answered) • [3](https://www.axios.com/local/miami/2023/09/01/swimmer-diana-nyad-past-questioned-again-movie) She finally completed the crossing on her fifth attempt, entering the water at Marina Hemingway in Havana on August 31, 2013 and reaching Smathers Beach in [Key West](https://www.edgepedia.org/key-west) on September 2, 2013.[8](https://diananyad.com/the-cuba-swim) Sources give the distance differently: the film's marketing uses 110 miles (177 kilometers), while the sport's straight-line convention puts a Cuba-to-Florida crossing at 150 kilometers.[1](https://media.netflix.com/en/only-on-netflix/81447231) • [9](https://www.swimmingworldmagazine.com/news/as-nyad-movie-is-released-a-look-a-the-skepticism-remaining-about-diana-nyad-and-her-legacy/)
## Production
Vasarhelyi and Chin, a married couple who won the 2019 documentary feature Oscar for *Free Solo*, were brought the project by producers Andrew Lazar and Teddy Schwarzman after the memoir had been optioned; dissatisfied with an earlier script, they hired Julia Cox, for whom this was a first feature screenplay, to write a fresh adaptation during the pandemic.[1](https://media.netflix.com/en/only-on-netflix/81447231) • [10](https://www.screendaily.com/features/free-solo-duo-talk-making-their-first-scripted-feature-nyad/5188928.article)
**Shooting on water.** Chin called water the most challenging environment he had filmed in, noting that everything takes three or four times as long as on land. Much of the movie was shot in a large tank in the [Dominican Republic](https://www.edgepedia.org/dominican-republic), where Cox remained on set for the entirety of production.[10](https://www.screendaily.com/features/free-solo-duo-talk-making-their-first-scripted-feature-nyad/5188928.article) • [11](https://www.backstage.com/magazine/article/nyad-director-elizabeth-chai-vasarhelyi-interview-76602/) The film premiered as the opening-night feature of the Hamptons International Film Festival in October 2023 before its theatrical and streaming release.[12](https://hamptonsfilmfest.org/site/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/2023-HIFF-Opening-Night-Release_FINAL.pdf)
## Accuracy and controversy
The film's release renewed scrutiny of Nyad within the marathon swimming community, where she had long been a polarizing figure.[13](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/movies/story/2023-11-03/netflix-diana-nyad-biopic-fact-fiction-annette-bening) The central dispute concerns the 2013 swim's status. No rules were declared in advance and no formal governing body oversaw Florida crossings at the time; under the sport's usual [English Channel](https://www.edgepedia.org/english-channel) rules, an unassisted swimmer may use no equipment beyond a cap and goggles and may never be touched. Nyad wore a specially designed jellyfish (stinger) suit and mask, used a string of lights for navigation, and was incidentally touched by crew members several times.[13](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/movies/story/2023-11-03/netflix-diana-nyad-biopic-fact-fiction-annette-bening) • [9](https://www.swimmingworldmagazine.com/news/as-nyad-movie-is-released-a-look-a-the-skepticism-remaining-about-diana-nyad-and-her-legacy/)
The two governing bodies reached different conclusions. WOWSA declined to ratify the swim as unassisted, citing inconsistencies and gaps in documentation, including a roughly five-and-a-half-hour period in which the official observer made no notations; the Marathon Swimmers Federation recognizes it as an assisted swim. [Guinness World Records](https://www.edgepedia.org/guinness-world-records) revoked its recognition of the swim as record-breaking.[4](https://www.ebsco.com/articles/history/64ca802b-c818-5d39-ac6f-f3cbe641dde6/the-deeper-story-behind-netflix-s-nyad/) • [9](https://www.swimmingworldmagazine.com/news/as-nyad-movie-is-released-a-look-a-the-skepticism-remaining-about-diana-nyad-and-her-legacy/) A 2022 WOWSA-commissioned report concluded there was no known evidence that Nyad exited the water or gained forward momentum from a support vessel or other person during the swim.[8](https://diananyad.com/the-cuba-swim) Nyad has maintained that she never claimed to swim under English Channel rules, since the Florida Straits, with their jellyfish and sharks, required different protections.[6](https://time.com/6330894/nyad-movie-true-story-netflix/)
**Nyad's own record.** Nyad admitted to the Los Angeles Times in 2023 that she had inflated claims about her career for decades: she repeatedly said she finished sixth at the 1968 Olympic trials when she never reached the trials, and wrote in *Find a Way* that she was the first woman to swim around Manhattan when she was the seventh.[13](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/movies/story/2023-11-03/netflix-diana-nyad-biopic-fact-fiction-annette-bening) Retired marathon swimmer Daniel Slosberg has compiled documentation of these exaggerations on the website NyadFactCheck.com.[3](https://www.axios.com/local/miami/2023/09/01/swimmer-diana-nyad-past-questioned-again-movie)
The film itself takes dramatic liberties. It depicts a close call with a shark that, according to WOWSA, did not occur during the real attempt, and it omits both the ratification dispute and Nyad's history of exaggeration.[13](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/movies/story/2023-11-03/netflix-diana-nyad-biopic-fact-fiction-annette-bening) Director Jimmy Chin said the filmmakers investigated the criticisms and "found that they weren't valid."[3](https://www.axios.com/local/miami/2023/09/01/swimmer-diana-nyad-past-questioned-again-movie)
## Reception
The film holds an 85% Tomatometer on Rotten Tomatoes and a Metacritic score of 63, based on 36 critic reviews, indicating generally favorable reception.[2](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/nyad) • [14](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/nyad/) Critics' consensus centered on the two lead performances: reviewers widely singled out Foster's supporting turn as Stoll, with the Associated Press writing that Foster "swims away with a showcase" for Bening.[15](https://apnews.com/article/5fe2e61773c2b80edb7fc7494082cdc7) Bening and Foster each received nominations at the 2024 Academy Awards, Golden Globes, and [Screen Actors Guild Awards](https://www.edgepedia.org/screen-actors-guild-awards) for lead and supporting actress respectively.[5](https://www.blackbearpictures.com/film-and-tv/nyad)
## References
1. [NYAD, Netflix Media Center](https://media.netflix.com/en/only-on-netflix/81447231)
2. [Nyad, Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/nyad)
3. [On eve of major film about her life, swimmer Diana Nyad's past is questioned again, Axios Miami](https://www.axios.com/local/miami/2023/09/01/swimmer-diana-nyad-past-questioned-again-movie)
4. [The Deeper Story Behind Netflix's Nyad, EBSCO Research (Time)](https://www.ebsco.com/articles/history/64ca802b-c818-5d39-ac6f-f3cbe641dde6/the-deeper-story-behind-netflix-s-nyad/)
5. [NYAD Movie, Black Bear Pictures](https://www.blackbearpictures.com/film-and-tv/nyad)
6. [The True Story Behind Diana Nyad's Incredible Swim, Time](https://time.com/6330894/nyad-movie-true-story-netflix/)
7. [How Many Attempts Did Diana Nyad Make To Swim From Cuba to Florida?, Netflix Tudum](https://www.netflix.com/tudum/articles/nyad-questions-answered)
8. [The Cuba Swim, Diana Nyad official site](https://diananyad.com/the-cuba-swim)
9. [As 'Nyad' Movie is Released, a Look at the Skepticism Remaining About Diana Nyad and Her Legacy, Swimming World Magazine](https://www.swimmingworldmagazine.com/news/as-nyad-movie-is-released-a-look-a-the-skepticism-remaining-about-diana-nyad-and-her-legacy/)
10. ['Free Solo' duo talk making their first scripted feature 'Nyad', Screen Daily](https://www.screendaily.com/features/free-solo-duo-talk-making-their-first-scripted-feature-nyad/5188928.article)
11. ['NYAD': Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi on Her First Narrative Feature, Backstage](https://www.backstage.com/magazine/article/nyad-director-elizabeth-chai-vasarhelyi-interview-76602/)
12. [2023 HIFF Opening Night Release, HamptonsFilm](https://hamptonsfilmfest.org/site/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/2023-HIFF-Opening-Night-Release_FINAL.pdf)
13. [Netflix's Diana Nyad biopic: What's fact and what's fiction?, Los Angeles Times](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/movies/story/2023-11-03/netflix-diana-nyad-biopic-fact-fiction-annette-bening)
14. [Nyad Reviews, Metacritic](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/nyad/)
15. [Movie Review: In 'Nyad,' Jodie Foster swims away with a showcase for Annette Bening, AP News](https://apnews.com/article/5fe2e61773c2b80edb7fc7494082cdc7)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Films and standalone screen works › Individual films by title and year › Drama and biographical films (individual works) › Drama films 2023 and 2024 › Titles H to N*
*Initially written Oct 3, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license