【云上嶺南】Maritime Guangdong Program: 'Swimming Lesson' to be screened at TISFF
【2024山海展映季】山海計劃短片《游泳課》即將亮相德黑蘭國際短片電影節
The short film "Swimming Lesson", supported by the "2024 Maritime Guangdong Young Director Support Program" (hereinafter referred to as the Maritime Guangdong Program) , has been selected for the international competition section of the Tehran International Short Film Festival (TISFF) . The film, directed by Deng Lianghong, will have its world premiere with two screenings on October 20 and 22. The story revolves around the conflicts and reconciliation between a father and son, offering a parable about "venturing" and "staying."
▲The post of "Swimming Lesson"
TISFF is one of Iran's oldest and most prestigious film festivals, providing a platform for both well-known filmmakers and emerging directors. It is also a qualifying festival for the Academy Awards , with the winner of the Grand Prix eligible for Oscar nomination consideration.
Deng Lianghong, a filmmaker from Shenzhen, Guangdong, began studying film at the age of 18 and has spent nearly a decade making films both in China and abroad. "Swimming Lesson" marks his first movie filmed in his hometown. Inspired by the real-life experiences of his father's generation, Deng explained, "I'm a Hakka who grew up in Shenzhen, and I heard stories of how people swam to Hong Kong as a ticket to a new life. This unique history, combined with my imagination and research, led me to write the story of a young boy who dreams of swimming to Hong Kong to find his mother."
▲Stage photo of "Swimming Lesson"
As the TISFF is the first international film festival for which Swimming Lesson has been shortlisted, Deng expressed his excitement about the selection, "I noticed the festival's focus on love and peace, and the affinity for realist films with poetic qualities in Iranian cinema, such as Iranian classics like "Children of Heaven" and "Where Is the Friend's Home? " They are all about a common and small perspective, to tell a very pure story through a child's point of view, thus reflecting the social reality. 'Swimming Lessons' is also a pure, poetic story between a father and son told from a child's perspective, with questions about history and reality. Therefore, I think it may be more in line with the style of this festival."
▲"Swimming Lesson" to be screened for the first time in Iran on October 20th
"Swimming Lesson" is scheduled to be screened for the first time in Iran on October 20th. Deng is looking forward to hearing feedback from overseas audiences and filmmakers. "I'm curious about what audiences from other cultures, especially those in the Middle East, will see in this story. I also look forward to communicating with overseas audiences to come up with enlightening ideas. This screening will also allow me to see tons of great films around the world and make some new friends."
Touched by the creation of the short film, Deng decided to further explore and express the theme about Shenzhen and Hong Kong through a longer film. The longer film project "Swimming Lesson" is currently in the pre-planning stage, and the title of the film is set as "The Rip Current ". He hopes to maximize his emotional expression in the film. From a more contemporary perspective, he wants to metaphorize the half-century-long changes in Hong Kong and Shenzhen through the separation of a Hong Kong-Shenzhen family. "'Swimming Lesson' is a drama focusing on the late 1970s, which is a bit distant from now. But a longer film must have a connection with the contemporary era, so it needs to extend the father-son relationship in the family to the present, to view what changes have occurred, which requires a deeper structural space to accumulate such beliefs and emotions into a stronger potential energy, which is a difference between making a short film and a feature film."
▲Stage photo of "Swimming Lesson"
Born in 1992, Deng graduated from Temple University with a degree in film production. His graduation work "Disappearing Cassette Tape" was awarded "Best Student Film" and "Best Cinematography" at the Short Pole London Film Festival , and he worked as an assistant director and post-director in the films "Game Start" , "Brick ", and the series "Woman in Shanghai ".
由“向山海走去”青年導演創作扶持計劃（簡稱山海計劃）扶持拍攝的短片《游泳課》（2023）近日入圍伊朗德黑蘭國際短片電影節國際競賽單元，將于當地時間10月20日和10月22日進行兩場放映，開啟世界首映。該片由山海計劃青年導演鄧亮宏執導，圍繞一對父子從沖突到和解的過程，講述一個關于“闖出去”和“留下來”的寓言。
德黑蘭國際短片電影節（TISFF）每年10月舉辦，在全世界具有廣泛影響，是伊朗歷史最悠久的電影節之一，為著名電影創作者以及新人導演提供寶貴平臺。該電影節是奧斯卡金像獎的資格賽，大獎賽得主有資格競選奧斯卡。
來自廣東深圳的鄧亮宏從18歲開始學電影，之后將近10年時間都在國內外拍片。《游泳課》是他在家鄉拍攝的第一部作品，故事靈感來源于其父輩的真實經歷：“我是在深圳長大的客家人，小時候聽了不少上一輩通過游泳去香港的故事，游泳就是改變他們命運的火車票。他們的獨特經歷，加上我的想象以及我對歷史背景的探求，促成我寫了一個小男孩想游泳去香港找媽媽的故事。”
德黑蘭國際短片電影節是《游泳課》入圍的首個國際影展，鄧亮宏表示非常驚喜：“這是一個宣揚愛與和平的電影節，伊朗電影很喜歡現實主義題材，影片也有很強的詩意，比如經典伊朗兒童電影《小鞋子》《何處是我朋友家》，都是從小切口進入，通過孩童視角講述一個非常純粹的故事，進而折射社會現實。《游泳課》也是以孩童視角講述一個純粹的、詩意的父子故事，背后也有關于歷史和現實的追問，所以可能比較符合這個電影節的調性。”
《游泳課》將于10月20日在伊朗首次放映，鄧亮宏期待聽到海外觀眾和電影人的反饋：“我很好奇其他文化背景的觀眾，尤其是中東地區的觀眾，會從這個故事里看到什么。我也期待能與海外觀眾碰撞出一些有啟發性的想法。這次放映活動也會讓我有機會看到大量來自世界各地的好片子，結交一些新朋友。”
受短片創作的觸動，鄧亮宏決定通過長片進一步完成自己對深港題材的探索和表達。目前《游泳課》的長片項目處于前期策劃階段，片名定為《離岸流》。他希望在長片中把情感表達做得更極致，以更具當代性的視角，通過一個深港家庭的離散，隱喻深港關系長達半個世紀的變遷。“《游泳課》是一部聚焦20世紀70年代末的戲，距離現在有些遙遠。但長片必須跟當代有聯系，所以需要將家庭中的父子關系延伸到當下，觀照從過去到現在發生了什么變化，這需要一個更縱深的結構空間，才能把這種信念和情感累積到一種比較強的勢能，這是制作短片和長片的一個區別。”
鄧亮宏出生于1992年，畢業于美國天普大學電影制作專業，畢業作品《消失的卡帶》曾獲Short Pole倫敦電影節最佳學生電影和最佳攝影獎，在電影《天才游戲》《建筑師》和網劇《上海女子圖鑒》中擔任副導演和后期導演。
來源：羊城晚報
