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”青年导演创作扶持计划（简称山海计划）扶持拍摄的短片《游泳课》（2023）近日入围伊朗德黑兰国际短片电影节国际竞赛单元，将于当地时间10月20日和10月22日进行两场放映，开启世界首映。该片由山海计划青年导演邓亮宏执导，围绕一对父子从冲突到和解的过程，讲述一个关于“闯出去”和“留下来”的寓言。

       德黑兰国际短片电影节（TISFF）每年10月举办，在全世界具有广泛影响，是伊朗历史最悠久的电影节之一，为著名电影创作者以及新人导演提供宝贵平台。该电影节是奥斯卡金像奖的资格赛，大奖赛得主有资格竞选奥斯卡。

       来自广东深圳的邓亮宏从18岁开始学电影，之后将近10年时间都在国内外拍片。《游泳课》是他在家乡拍摄的第一部作品，故事灵感来源于其父辈的真实经历：“我是在深圳长大的客家人，小时候听了不少上一辈通过游泳去香港的故事，游泳就是改变他们命运的火车票。他们的独特经历，加上我的想象以及我对历史背景的探求，促成我写了一个小男孩想游泳去香港找妈妈的故事。”

       德黑兰国际短片电影节是《游泳课》入围的首个国际影展，邓亮宏表示非常惊喜：“这是一个宣扬爱与和平的电影节，伊朗电影很喜欢现实主义题材，影片也有很强的诗意，比如经典伊朗儿童电影《小鞋子》《何处是我朋友家》，都是从小切口进入，通过孩童视角讲述一个非常纯粹的故事，进而折射社会现实。《游泳课》也是以孩童视角讲述一个纯粹的、诗意的父子故事，背后也有关于历史和现实的追问，所以可能比较符合这个电影节的调性。”

       《游泳课》将于10月20日在伊朗首次放映，邓亮宏期待听到海外观众和电影人的反馈：“我很好奇其他文化背景的观众，尤其是中东地区的观众，会从这个故事里看到什么。我也期待能与海外观众碰撞出一些有启发性的想法。这次放映活动也会让我有机会看到大量来自世界各地的好片子，结交一些新朋友。”

       受短片创作的触动，邓亮宏决定通过长片进一步完成自己对深港题材的探索和表达。目前《游泳课》的长片项目处于前期策划阶段，片名定为《离岸流》。他希望在长片中把情感表达做得更极致，以更具当代性的视角，通过一个深港家庭的离散，隐喻深港关系长达半个世纪的变迁。“《游泳课》是一部聚焦20世纪70年代末的戏，距离现在有些遥远。但长片必须跟当代有联系，所以需要将家庭中的父子关系延伸到当下，观照从过去到现在发生了什么变化，这需要一个更纵深的结构空间，才能把这种信念和情感累积到一种比较强的势能，这是制作短片和长片的一个区别。”

       邓亮宏出生于1992年，毕业于美国天普大学电影制作专业，毕业作品《消失的卡带》曾获Short Pole伦敦电影节最佳学生电影和最佳摄影奖，在电影《天才游戏》《建筑师》和网剧《上海女子图鉴》中担任副导演和后期导演。

       文 | 羊城晚报记者 詹锡伟

       译 | 王枥焓

       审 | 邹晓华