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Freedom Swimmer

In order to understand the present, we need to shed light on the past.

FREEDOM SWIMMER documents a mass migration story from the 20th century, which is relatively untold in the Western world — and offers context for a city in turmoil, today.

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 near Shenzhen, it was a decade-long struggle to leave. 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 other refugees, went on to have a successful life in Hong Kong and was part of the working-class movement that powered local industry and helped transform the city into a financial success story.

FREEDOM SWIMMER explores the effect of past cultural trauma, allowing the audience to find 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.

Credits

Written and directed by Olivia Martin-McGuire
Produced by Brooke Tia Silcox, Ron Dyens and Olivia Martin-McGuire
Graphic Authorship by Agnes Patron
Composition by Pierre Oberkampf

Credits

Written and directed by Olivia Martin-McGuire
Produced by Brooke Tia Silcox, Ron Dyens and Olivia Martin-McGuire
Graphic Authorship by Agnes Patron
Composition by Pierre Oberkampf

Freedom Swimmer

In order to understand the present, we need to shed light on the past.

FREEDOM SWIMMER documents a mass migration story from the 20th century, which is relatively untold in the Western world — and offers context for a city in turmoil, today.

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 near Shenzhen, it was a decade-long struggle to leave. 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 other refugees, went on to have a successful life in Hong Kong and was part of the working-class movement that powered local industry and helped transform the city into a financial success story.

FREEDOM SWIMMER explores the effect of past cultural trauma, allowing the audience to find 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.

Festivals

Awards

  • Winner Best Mixed Media, Spark Film Festival, Vancouver, Canada, October 2021
  • Winner Best Creative, Kendal Mountain Film Festival, UK, November 2021
  • Winner Yoram Gross Award for Best Short Animation, Sydney Film Festival, Sydney, Australia, November 2021
  • Winner Best Short Documentary, Australian International Documentary Conference (AIDC), Melbourne, Australia, March 2022
  • Special Mention, Best Short Film, Movies that Matter, the Hague, the Netherlands, March 2022
  • Winner Best Animation, Aspen Shortsfest, Aspen, USA, April 2022
  • Winner Ellen Award (Visionary Filmmaking), Aspen Shortsfest, Aspen, USA, April 2022
  • Winner Film House Award (Visionary Filmmaking), Athens International Film and Video Festival, Ohio, USA, April 2022
  • Winner Best Short Film, Cardiff Animation Festival, Wales, UK, April 2022
  • Special Mention Best Short Film, In the Palace International Film Festival, Bulgaria, April 2022
  • Winner Best Short Film, Millennium Docs Against Gravity Film Festival, Poland, May 2022
  • Winner Best Short Film, Plein la Bobine Festival, France, May 2022
  • Winner Best International Short Film, Doc Edge Film Festival, New Zealand, June 2022
  • Winner, Unifrance Short Film Award, Grand Action Prize, Cannes International Film Festival, France, June 2022
  • Winner, Palm Springs Film Festival, Bridging the Borders Award, California, USA, June 2022
  • Winner, Craft Award (Excellence in Filmmaking), St Kilda Film Festival, Melbourne, Australia, June 2022
  • Winner, One World Media Awards, Best Short Film, London, UK, June 2022
  • Winner, Leiden Shorts Audience Award, the Netherlands, June 2022
  • Winner Best Australian Short Film, CinefestOz Festival, Busselton, Australia, August 2022
  • Winner, International Animation Competition, Shorts Mexico, Mexico, September 2022
  • Winner Calgary Best Short Documentary Award, Calgary International Film Festival, Canada, October 2022
  • Winner Telus Audience Choice Award: Documentary Short, Calgary International Film Festival, Canada, October 2022
  • Winner, Bronze, Manhattan Shorts Film Awards, New York, USA, October 2022
  • Winner Best World Short Film, IndieCork, Ireland, October 2022
  • Winner, Mixed Media Award, Discover Film Festival, London, UK, October 2022
  • Winner, Jury Award for Best Documentary Short, Santa Fe International Film Festival, Sante Fe, USA, October 2022
  • Winner, Gold Sovereign (Grand Film Prize), Femme Filmmakers Festival, Italy, October, 2022
  • Winner, Best Sound, Femme Filmmakers Festival, Italy, October 2022
  • Winner Doc’Anim Award, Animatou, Geneva, Switzerland October 2022
  • Winner Best International Short Film Audience Award, Hot Springs Documentary Festival, Hot Springs, USA, October 2022
  • Winner, FIFF International Short Film Competition, Tübingen, Stuttgart, November 2022
  • Highly Commended, British Grierson Awards, London, UK, November 2022
  • Winner, Best Documentary Short Film, Chicago International Children’s Film Festival, Chicago, November 2022
  • Winner Prix Crédit Mutuel – Best Short Film, Festival St Paul Les Trois Chateaux, France, November 2022
  • Winner Prix Mèche Courte – Best Short Film, Festival St Paul Les Trois Chateaux, France, November 2022
  • Winner, Most Inspiring True Story, Heart of Gold International Short Film Festival, Queensland, November 2022
  • Winner, Best Documentary Short, Shorts Not Pants, Toronto, November 2022
  • Winner, Best Animation Short, Shorts Not Pants, Toronto, November 2022
  • Winner, Best Director, Australian Director’s Guild Awards, December 2022
  • Winner, Best Documentary Short Film, Key West Film Festival, Florida, December 2022
  • Winner Outstanding Achievement in Sound, West Australian Screen Awards, December 2022
  • Winner Innovation in Short Film/Animation, West Australian Screen Awards, December 2022
  • Winner, Audience Award Best International Short Documentary, Coronado Island Film Festival, USA, December 2022
  • Winner, Audience Award, Australian Short Film Today, Austin, Texas, December 2022
  • Winner, Jury Prize, Paris Courts Devant, France, January 2023
  • Winner, Special Mention/ Runner Up, Best Short Film, Stellar Short Film Festival, Frankston, Australia, March 2023
  • Winner, Best Animated Documentary, Animatricks Animation Festival, Helsinki, 2023
  • Winner, Best short documentary, Psaroloco children International Film festival, 2023
  • Winner, Best International Short, IndieCork Festival, Ireland, 2023

 

Official Selection

  • Official Selection, Melbourne International Film Festival, August 2021
  • Official Selection, Loudoun Arts Festival, Virginia, September 2021
  • Official Selection, DC Shorts, Washington, September 2021
  • Official Selection, Spark Film Festival, Vancouver, October 2021
  • Official Selection, AIX En-Provence, France, November 2021
  • Official Selection, PÖFF Festival, Estonia, November 2021
  • Official Selection, DOCNYC, November 2021
  • Official Selection, Kendal Mountain Film Festival, UK, November 2021
  • Official Selection, Sydney Film Festival, Australia, November 2021
  • Official Selection, Festival Tous Court, France, November 2021
  • Official Selection, Animateka International Animation Festival, Slovenia, December 2021
  • Official Selection, Flickerfest, Australia, January 2022
  • Official Selection, International Film Festival Rotterdam, January 2022
  • Official Selection, Minimalen Short Film Festival, Trondheim, Norway, January 2022
  • Official Selection, Slamdance, Utah, USA, January 2022
  • Official Selection, Brussels International Film Festival, Brussels, February 2022
  • Official Selection, Festival of Animation de Rennes, France, February 2022
  • Official Selection, Asia Pacific Triennial, Australia, March 2022
  • Official Selection, Santa Barbara, California, USA, March 2022
  • Official Selection, LAS Animation Festival, Berkeley, USA, March 2022
  • Official Selection, Mecal Pro, Barcelona International Short & Animation Festival, March 2022
  • Official Selection, Salem Film Festival, Massachusetts, USA, March 2022
  • Official Selection, Tricky Women Film Festival, Austria, March 2022
  • Official Selection, Boulder Film Festival, Colorado, USA, March 2022
  • Official Selection, Ennesimo Film Festival, Modena, Italy, March 2022
  • Official Selection, Australian International Documentary Conference, March 2022
  • Official Selection, One Country One Film Festival, France, March 2022
  • Official Selection, Athens International Film and Video Festival, Ohio, USA, April 2022
  • Official Selection, Docudays UA International Human Rights Documentary Film Festival, Kyiv, Ukraine, April 2022
  • Official Selection, Aspen Shortsfest, Colorado, USA, April 2022
  • Official Selection, In the Palace, Bulgaria, April 2022
  • Official Selection, Cardiff Animation Festival, Wales, April 2022
  • Official Selection, Florida International Film Festival, Florida, USA, April 2022
  • Official Selection, Fantaspoa, Brazil, April 2022
  • Official Selection, RiverRun Film Festival, North Carolina, USA, April 2022
  • Official Selection, Flatpack, UK, April 2022
  • Official Selection, CinefestOz Albany, Australia, April 2022
  • Official Selection, Movies that Matter Festival, the Hague, the Netherlands, April 2022
  • Official Selection, Cleveland International Film Festival, USA, April 2022
  • Official Selection, St Kilda Film Festival, Melbourne, Australia, May 2022
  • Official Selection, Millennium Docs Against Gravity Film Festival, Poland, May 2022
  • Official Selection, Lichter Film Festival, Frankfurt, May 2022
  • Official Selection, Stuttgart International Festival of Animated Film, May 2022
  • Official Selection, LA Asia Pacific Film Festival, USA, May 2022
  • Official Selection, Carmarthen Bay Film Festival, Wales, May 2022
  • Official Selection, Cannes – UniFrance Short Film Award, France, May 2022
  • Official Selection, Austrian Department of Amnesty international, Austraia, May 2022
  • Official Selection, Sigmund Freud Museum, Vienna, May 2022
  • Official Selection, Lyon Projection, ARTE, France, May 2022
  • Official Selection, One World Media Awards, London, UK, May 2022
  • Official Selection, PyeongChang Int’l Peace Film Festival, Korea, June 2022
  • Official Selection, Forum des images, France, June 2022
  • Official Selection, Plein la Bobine, France, June 2022
  • Official Selection, Palm Springs Film Festival, USA, June 2022
  • Official Selection, Doc Edge Film Festival, New Zealand, June 2022
  • Official Selection, San Francisco Documentary Film Festival, USA, June 2022
  • Official Selection, Independent Film Festival Ypsilanti, Michigan, USA, June 2022
  • Official Selection, Huesca International Film Festival, Spain, June 2022
  • Official Selection, Leiden Shorts Film Festival, the Netherlands, June 2022
  • Official Selection, Anibar Film Festival, Kosovo, July 2022
  • Official Selection, Maui Film Festival, Hawaii, USA, July 2022
  • Official Selection, International Short Film Competition, Freedom Film Festival Radom, Poland, July 2022
  • Official Selection, UN Pays UN Film Festival, France, July 2022
  • Official Selection, Edinburgh Film Festival, Scotland, August 2022
  • Official Selection, CinefestOz, Busselton, Australia, August 2022
  • Official Selection, Holly Shorts Film Festival, California, USA, August 2022
  • Semi-Finalist, Flickers Rhode Island Film Festival, Rhode Island, USA, August 2022
  • Official Selection, Manhattan Short Film Festival, New York, USA, August 2022
  • Official Selection, Discover Film Awards, London, UK, September 2022
  • Official Selection, Calgary International Film Festival, Canada, September 2022
  • Official Selection, Francigena Film Festival, Italy, September 2022
  • Official Selection, Cardiff Travelling Film Festival, Wales, September 2022
  • Official Selection, Nashville Film Festival, USA, September 2022
  • Official Selection, American French Film Festival (COLCOA), Los Angeles, October 2022
  • Official Selection, Sante Fe Film Festival, New Mexico, October 2022
  • Official Selection, Hot Springs Documentary Film Festival, Arkansas, October 2022
  • Official Selection, IndieCork, Ireland, October 2022
  • Official Selection, San Jose International Short Film Festival, USA, October 2022
  • Official Selection, Animatou Animation Film Festival, Geneva, October 2022
  • Official Selection, Heart of Gold Film Festival, Australia, October 2022
  • Official Selection, Big Cartoon Festival, Moscow, Russia, October 2022
  • Official Selection, Canlandiranlar International Film Festival, Turkey, October 2022
  • Official Selection, Femme Filmmakers Festival, Italy, October 2022
  • Official Selection, Santa Fe International Film Festival, USA, October 2022
  • Official Selection, Antipodes Festival, St Tropez, France, October 2022
  • Offical Selection, Festival du film d’animation pour la jeunesse de Bourg-en-Bresse, France, October 2022
  • Official Selection, St Kilda Film Festival Travelling Film Festival, November 2022
  • Official Selection, British Grierson Awards, London, UK, November 2022
  • Official Selection, Adelaide Film Festival, Australia, November 2022
  • Official Selection, Virginia Film Festival, Virginia, USA, November 2022
  • Official Selection, International Festival du Film Francophone de Tübingen-Stuttgart, November 2022
  • Official Selection, Chicago International Children’s Film Festival, USA, November, 2022
  • Official Selection, Veterans Film Festival, Sydney, Australia, November 2022
  • Official Selection, Rocky Mountain Women’s Film Festival, Colorado, USA November 2022
  • Official Selection, Australian Short Film Today, Saint Tropez, France, October, 2022
  • Official Selection, DocStories, San Francisco, USA, November 2022
  • Official Selection, DOCNYC, Meet the Press: Seeking Refuge, Finding Home, New York, USA November 2022
  • Official Selection, Coronado Island Film Festival, San Diego, USA, November 2022
  • Official Selection, Pittsburgh Shorts, Pennsylvania, USA, November 2022
  • Official Selection, Key West Film Festival, Florida, USA, November 2022
  • Official Selection, Chilliwack Independent Film Festival, Canada, November 2022
  • Official Selection, Internationale Kurzfilmtage Winterthur, Switzerland, November 2022
  • Official Selection, Australian Short Film Today, London, November, 2022
  • Official Selection, Des cinés, la vie! (Movies, Life!), France, 2022-2023
  • Official Selection, FIFF international Short Film Competition, Tübingen Stuttgart, November 2022
  • Official Selection, Shorts Not Pants, Toronto, November 2022
  • Official Selection, Australian Short Film Today, Austin, Texas, November, 2022
  • Official Selection, Oscar Contenders Screening presented by IndieWire, ShortsTV and National Geographic, Los Angeles, December, 2022
  • Official Selection, Séquence Court-Métrage, France, December 2022
  • Official Selection, Key West Film Festival, Florida, USA, December 2022
  • Official Selection, Emile Reynaud (European Animation) Awards, France, December 2022
  • Official Selection, Smita Patil International Film Festival, India, December 2022
  • Official Selection, Fugitif Short Film Festival, France, January 2023
  • Official Selection, Paris Court Devant, France, January 2023
  • Official Selection, Kaboom Festival, Netherlands, February 2023
  • Official Selection, Stellar Short Film Festival, Frankston, March 2023
  • Official Selection, Annapolis Film Festival, USA, March 2023
  • Offical Selection, Uptilt Film Fest in Wilmington, North Carolina, USA, March 2023
  • Official Selection, Fargo Film Festival, North Dakota, USA, March 2023
  • Official Selection, Festival Cinema for Change, April 2023
  • Official Selection, ReelGood Film Festival, Melbourne, April 2023
  • Official Selection, Psaroloco International Children’s & Young People’s Film Festival 2023, Greece, Athens, April 2023
  • Official Selection, Festival Trois Jours Trop Courts, France, Castres, June 2023
  • Official Selection, Festival Courtivore, France, June 2023
  • Official Selction, Psaroloco children International Film festival, 2023
  • Animatricks Animation festival, Helsinki, 2023

Directors Biography

Olivia is an Australian-British documentary filmmaker and photographer living in London who spent five years living in China and Hong Kong. FREEDOM SWIMMER is her second film. Her first film, the documentary ChinaLove premiered at Sydney Film Festival and DOCNYC and was nominated for Best Australian Documentary and competed in competition at the Asia Pacific Awards. Her photographic work has been exhibited in various international galleries, festivals, museums and publications.

Directors Statement

As a storyteller I am interested in cultural and intergenerational trauma and how lived experience informs and affects behaviour and, to an extent, the resulting cycles and patterns.

I am interested in exploring what’s behind events and current narratives – and how understanding or empathising with these stories helps us better connect with each other.

When this story came to me, I was living in Hong Kong, after a period living in China. I had recently finished a feature documentary exploring contemporary China through its wedding industry. It was a totally different topic and world – and yet what was behind this new account in Freedom Swimmer was a familiar echo.

I felt this story offered another window into the changes facing Hong Kong now – by understanding the past a little more. The film is based on a journey across water in search of freedom, that took more than a decade to get right. It feels like there’s a lack of understanding of the refugee experience in the Western world.

It is a story that those interviewed wanted to tell – but feared the consequences of doing so. As an outsider, I believed I was in a unique position to help them tell it. – so this was a unique opportunity to help the story have a voice.

The film is based on a series of audio interviews from intergenerational family members in Hong Kong. The Interviewees requested anonymity, so I recorded audio interviews with several other freedom swimmers and protestors, as well as some who had chosen to migrate to the UK. This allowed me to blend specific details so individual stories weren’t directly attributable.

“There is no fear, when there is no hope.”

Something else that seemed striking to me when I interviewed both the freedom swimmers and the current-day protestors was the parallels and commonalities in language.

Both generations talked about their situations as “being hopeless” but being “prepared to die” for their efforts. They talked about camaraderie or “the community” that existed for those that pushed back then and now – how this became their “freedom”. There were also symbolic parallels in relation to actions or objects, that became motifs in the film.

The fluid, leaderless and faceless protests now, mirrored the journeys in the dark, makeshift tactics or tools and group pragmatism that existed amongst the freedom swimmers. Even the protestors call, “to be water” seemed connected to that original journey from the mainland.

Blending hand-drawn animation and film, the symbolic parallels are tightly woven for both generations, as the story slips between the past and the present.