RELEASE DATE: 4th August 2025
LAST SWIM is my cinematic debut, and I was especially interested in exploring contemporary themes of lost youth. It was during the height of the pandemic that Helen Simmons and I were writing the script. The stakes for these teenagers are especially high. This is a film about control, and possession; about how our choices might be very different if our seminal years were inadvertently taken from us. Ziba’s story taps into something both universal and very current today – especially resonating with a youth who, living through difficult times and pondering uncertain futures, have yet to find their paths in an adult and post pandemic society. Ziba finds herself caught between a deep, inextinguishable passion for being alive, and an intrusive, overpowering desire to end the pain and fear of her reality, where her hopes feel all but gone.
Ziba Soofi is an intelligent and ambitious young Londoner. Proud of her Iranian heritage, she is conscientious and sensible but indulges in a certain romantic nihilism. Perhaps this is because of her passion for astronomy, or perhaps because she longs for happier times. The only member of her close-knit group of friends to get good exam results on the day we meet them, Ziba struggles to maintain any optimism. Her intention, when our story begins, is to savour an eventful day in London, then witness a unique celestial event before taking an irreversible step which – in her mind – will give her back control of her life.
SASHA NATHWANI
A graduate of NYU’s Tisch School of The Arts, Sasha is a writer and director who was born in London to an Iranian mother and an Indian Father. He grew up watching classic films with his Persian grandmother, sparking his passion for cinema.
His recent work includes the 2021 short film RAJ’S STORY about the Royal Navy’s first Sikh submariner which was a recipient of a One Point Four and Channel 4 Diversity Awards, and a global campaign for New Balance “Impatience Is A Virtue” starring Jaden Smith and Coco Gauff was the recipient of a Endorphin Award. Sasha has a large music video catalogue which includes two consecutive best video nominations at the Brit Awards with over a billion hits on YouTube for artists such as
Izzy Bizu, Jasmine Thompson, Snakehips, Brother Leo and MK.
LAST SWIM is his debut feature.
When he’s not hunting for the next story to tell, Sasha is an active member of FREE THE WORK and POCC, curating seasonal film showcases
