Long Beach
3rd District

Long Beach, California – Councilmember Kristina Duggan and City of Long Beach will host the debut US screening of Elliott Hasler’s British indie film, Vindication Swim, on July 11 at the Aquarium of the Pacific. This historic screening aims to build excitement for the LA 28 Olympic Games, where Long Beach will host several aquatics events including open water swim. Follow this link to reserve your tickets.

Based on the inspirational true story of Mercedes Gleitze, who in 1927 became the first British woman to swim the English Channel. Vindication Swim depicts Mercedes’ upstream struggle in overcoming both the cold waters of the English Channel and the oppressive society of 1920s England. However, after a rival comes forward claiming to have accomplished the same feat, Mercedes is forced into battle to retain her record and her legacy.

Written and directed by award-winning filmmaker Elliott Hasler, the film took four years to make with all the swimming sequences shot in the English Channel itself without the use of tanks, green screens or body doubles. The filmmakers also adopted an environmental impacts initiative during the making of the film to cut down on the production’s carbon footprint.

Earlier this year Vindication Swim hit UK theatres with a splash, breaking top 20 at the box office and receiving a wave of positive reviews from critics who hailed the film as “a truly epic independent film on a scale never seen before.” In May the film was hailed as “one of the top UK buzz titles” in Cannes, where Hasler became the first writer/director born this century to have a film screened at the festival.

Notes for Editor:

Sales Agent: Brilliant Pictures

Producers: Relsah Films, SeaHigh Productions, Picnik Entertainment & Arden Entertainment

Short Synopsis: The inspirational story of Mercedes Gleitze, the first British woman to swim the English Channel and her battle against both the cold waters of the Channel and the oppressive society of 1920s England.

Director: Elliott Hasler

Cast: Kirsten Callaghan, John Locke (Poor Things), Victoria Summer (Saving Mr. Banks), James Wilby (Howard’s End) and Douglas Hodge (Joker)

Run Time: 97 Minutes

About the Councilmember Kristina Duggan

Elected in November 2022 to serve the residents of the 3rd District in Long Beach, Kristina is driven by her passion for community service, education, public safety, and the vitality of the local business community. As a Councilmember, Kristina is working to address issues most impacting the residents of the 3rd District: infrastructure, homelessness & public safety, and environmental concerns. Kristina has been a proud resident living and working in the 3rd District of Long Beach for over 25 years. Kristina co-owns and operates Dr. Duggan & Associates, a successful local behavioral health center in the Belmont Heights area of Long Beach.

Currently, she and her husband, Matt, live in Belmont Shore with their daughter Shannon, who is currently attending the University of Hawaii, Manoa, and their son, Matthew, a high school junior and hockey player.