As a gamer with a deep-rooted passion for history and a soft spot for underdog stories, I find myself captivated by the tale of “The Sinking of the Lisbon Maru.” Having spent countless hours immersed in virtual worlds, I’ve learned to appreciate the power of storytelling that transcends boundaries. Fang Li’s documentary is a testament to this very essence, weaving together a historical event with human courage and resilience.
China has chosen “The Sinking of the Lisbon Maru,” a World War II documentary directed by Fang Li, to represent it at the 97th Academy Awards in the best international feature film category. This selection marks a first since China started submitting entries to the Oscars in 1979, as it’s the country’s first documentary submission. However, this choice also follows a pattern of China opting for films that evoke strong patriotic feelings among its domestic audience.
The opening film at the Shanghai International Film Festival in June revolves around a little-known event during World War II in 1942, when an unidentified Japanese military transport ship, named The Lisbon Maru, was struck by a torpedo from the U.S. navy. At the time, this vessel was carrying prisoners of war, resulting in over 800 British soldiers drowning or succumbing to Japanese gunfire as the ship sank. Remarkably, almost 380 other British POWs were rescued by brave Chinese fishermen who put their own lives at risk by saving and hiding these prisoners from the Japanese forces. The film poignantly highlights the courage and selflessness of these ordinary Chinese heroes.
Feng, both director and producer of the movie, journeyed far and wide to construct the narrative surrounding a shipwreck and the tales of its survivors. This filmmaker, with a distinguished background in the Chinese film industry and expertise in oceanography, revealed that he traversed China, Britain, Japan, the United States, and Canada, locating surviving prisoners of war or their relatives. Additionally, Feng made an effort to find what is thought to be the real wreckage of the Lisbon Maru, capturing this endeavor on camera. Feng claimed to have eventually spoken with over 130 descendants and amassed tens of thousands of historical photographs to enrich the film’s narrative. The film also features the only known surviving Chinese fisherman who took part in the rescue, as well as the first historian to delve deeply into this event.
The Lisbon Maru sinking movie has gained significant popularity in China following its release on September 6. It has received exceptionally high ratings of 9.3 on the movie site Douban and 9.6 on the ticketing app Maoyan, indicating a strong word-of-mouth response. As per Maoyan, the film has grossed approximately $5 million in Chinese cinemas, which is quite impressive for a documentary in the country.
Over a span of 25 years, China has been nominated for the Oscars twice in the Best International Film category. Zhang Yimou secured China’s first nomination in 1990 with the romantic tragedy Ju Dou, starring Gong Li, and he repeated this achievement with the martial arts epic Hero in 2002. However, no Chinese film has yet taken home an Oscar.
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2024-09-30 06:54