Freedom Swimmer
Synopsis
A granddaughter asks her grandfather to recount his journey from China, swimming to Hong Kong in the 1970’s.
One of two million mainland residents who swam across the southern sea border. Many others died trying or were captured and sent to labour camps. He was one of the lucky ones.
From the 1950’s to 1980’s Hong Kong was a symbol of freedom to many Chinese, glimpsed across the water. The grandfather, like many others, went on to have a successful life in Hong Kong and was part of the working-class movement that helped transform the city into a financial success story.
FREEDOM SWIMMER explores the effect of past cultural trauma, exploring a new perspective on the current situation. It reflects the depth of a symbol that is ‘freedom’ - that Hong Kong both represents and holds onto so tightly.
On a wider-scale, this is a universal story of the dispossessed— what it takes to flee your country, what it means to fight for freedom, what it is like to leave everything in hope of liberty.
Details
- Year
- 2021
- Type of film
- Shorts
- Running time
- 15 min
- Format
- Digital
- Director
-
Olivia Martin-McGuire
- Producer
- Brooke Silcox
- Editor
- Anonymous
- Screenwriter
- Olivia Martin-McGuire
- Director of Photography
- Anonymous
- Production Designer
- Anonymous
- Sound
- Anonymous
- Composer
- Pierre Oberkampf
- Principal cast
- British Canontese actors - anonymous
Genre
Categories
Production Status
Production Company
No-Thing Productions
17 Grenville RoadGooseberry Hill
Perth
Western Australia 6076
no-thing.co
Sales Company
Sacrebleu Productions
10 bis rue Bisson75020 Paris
France
Page updates
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