The Swimmers had its world premiere at the 2022 Toronto International Film Festival on September 8, 2022,[3] and was released in select cinemas on November 11, 2022.

The final credits inform that Yusra's sister Sarah, who had returned to Lesbos as part of voluntary efforts to assist incoming refugees in 2016, had been arrested and faced charges that carried potentially long-term prison sentences, if convicted.

She further reported trauma experienced by the cast from filming in the Aegean Sea near refugees trying to cross, as well as low wages for Turkish and Syrian extras.

[11] El Hosaini has stated that they had a duty of care to the cast (in particular those Syrian refugees involved in front of and behind the camera) and that production were able to deliver on that to avoid any traumatizing effects.

[12] She has also stated her belief that it was important that refugees were involved because of "the idea of authenticity and letting people be part of the telling of their own story.

The website's critics consensus reads, "The Swimmers can be heavy-handed and it's arguably too long, but it handles a worthy topic with generally uplifting results.