How One Filmmaker’s Obsession With a Forgotten WWII Tragedy Led to the Doc ‘The Sinking of the Lisbon Maru’

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As a filmmaker and storyteller, I have had the profound honor of working on many projects throughout my career, but none has touched me quite like “The Forgotten Sailors.” The journey to bring this story to light was not only an educational and eye-opening experience, but it also reminded me of the importance of family, love, and memory.

Fang Li proposes an explanation as to why the sinking of the Japanese cargo ship Lisbon Maru, along with the subsequent suffering of the 1,816 British prisoners of war aboard, was often overlooked in the tales of the Second World War for so long.

He attributes it to the challenge posed by great distance since the occurrences that took place on and around October 1, 1942, unfolded in the waters surrounding the secluded Dongji Island, which lies approximately two hours from China’s eastern Zhejiang province coastline.

The story he heard goes like this: The Lisbon Maru was torpedoed by the USS Grouper, and in the aftermath of the strike — and as the ship slowly sank — Japanese troops locked the POWs inside the cargo holds. But the POWs were able to break free and take to the waters, only to be shot at by the Japanese before local Chinese fishermen arrived and started plucking them from the water. In the end, 384 men survived and 828 perished, either in the hold or in the water.

Upon accidentally learning the story, Li found its recounting to be the crucial endeavor he now terms the defining journey of his life, having transitioned from a seasoned producer to a debut director and occasional ocean explorer at the age of 70.

Li spent nearly a decade tracking down survivors, witnesses, and families affected by those tragic incidents, ultimately creating the film “The Sinking of the Lisbon Maru“. This movie has garnered an impressive RMB 45 million ($6.2 million) at the Chinese box office, which is remarkable given that documentaries seldom attract much attention in China’s market.

Drawing inspiration from a relatively unknown book by Hong Kong historian Tony Banham (which served as the film’s title and initially had a print run of 1,500), Li delved into oral histories from the Imperial War Museum in London. He also met with the last two survivors of the event, spoke with families of both those who perished and survived, as well as the Chinese fishermen who had come to the rescue and saved hundreds of POWs from the water.

At the core of this captivating and emotional movie lies the human experience and intimate tales that unfold amidst the broader narrative – these are supported by archived footage of the war, as well as an animated retelling of events.

“I wanted the world to hear them,” says Li. “For so long this story had been forgotten.”

As a passionate movie enthusiast, I’ve been thrilled to follow the journey of “The Sinking of the Lisbon Maru.” This powerful film premiered at the BFI in London and the Shanghai International Film Festival, and it had its cinema run in China last September. Now, it’s still making waves on the international festival circuit.

It’s interesting to note that the movie was initially submitted by China for consideration as the best international feature film for the Oscars, but was later turned down because it contained too much English. Despite this rejection, Li has now resubmitted the film in the category for best feature documentary at the Academy Awards.

When Li speaks with THR over a video call, he mentions that although the filmmaking journey has drained him, the payoff has been observing the impact his movie has made on viewers and on those affected families who were touched by the tragedy.

Were you not familiar with the Lisbon Maru, and instead were engaged in a different movie project at the time? Could you tell us about the circumstances under which you stumbled upon this particular story?

Here’s one way of paraphrasing the original text:

Did you immediately think of turning it somehow into a film?

Initially, my aim was simply to locate the elusive ship, a task that had proven impossible for anyone before me. This quest was fueled primarily by my insatiable curiosity, having spent considerable time in the past with the Blue Sky Rescue volunteer team and China’s national underwater archaeology team, contributing to the discovery of lost ships, people, and planes. I soon uncovered the reason why previous searchers had failed to find the boat. The coordinates provided in Tony [Banham]’s book and the Japanese records of the sinking were off by a significant 36 kilometers. However, armed with advanced technology and the luxury of time, we were successful in our endeavor and managed to locate it.

So what was it that made you decide to make this film?

What sparked my determination was a deeply moving realization. On September 9, 2017, as the sun set and a few clouds hung over the sea, I suddenly understood that, some 30 meters beneath my deck, there were 828 young men who had been overlooked. Being a father, my son at that time was around 25 years old, much like them. Their names, alas, remain unknown to most.

The true source of the profound emotion – the raw power – originates from the survivors and the relatives of those who managed to survive or didn’t make it. Was it challenging to persuade them to share their experiences?

Initially, we encountered approximately twenty families. This sizeable collection of families had essentially been overlooked by history, their tales all but erased from the world’s memory. They yearned to share their experiences, and there were countless heartrending narratives among them – stories filled with love, family, and hardship, much like those associated with the Titanic, which gained widespread fame due to its blockbuster movie adaptation. The intriguing part is that only twenty families have been discovered so far, while the ship carried 1,816 men onboard. This led me to ponder whether we might uncover more families and their untold stories in the future.

Instead, consider the following rephrased sentence:

Many have expressed their opinion that you’re eccentric, given the current trend of digital news consumption. However, contrary to popular belief, not everyone has abandoned traditional newspapers. Indeed, I fall into that category, being an older individual. I read the newspaper daily, making it part of my evening routine. Reading while dining, a delightful experience indeed!

And why do you think that the story sort vanished so easily after the war?

It appears that the reason for fewer reported casualties from the Lisbon Maru may be due to its location in the Far East, where battlefields and conflicts were more prevalent during the same time period. Additionally, comparing casualty numbers with those from European battlefields is challenging because of the ongoing difficulties and instability in the region following World War II, particularly during the Chinese Civil War, which made it difficult for investigations or accurate reporting to take place.

The hand-painted animation of the sinking is simple but so effective. How did that all come about?

In our project, we experimented with various types of animations, investing substantial resources along the way, only to discover that our error was rooted in the nature of the content itself – it’s an oral history, where elderly veterans are recounting their stories. Our realization being that if we included moving characters or action, the audience would be more focused on the visuals rather than the narrative. Consequently, we opted to use animated human images as a backdrop, ensuring the listener’s attention remains on the story. We took great care in fine-tuning the sound and its integration with these images.

Were you taken aback by the response your movie received in China, initially during the Shanghai Film Festival and subsequently at the box office?

Following a Q&A at a Chinese university, I encouraged everyone to make a special phone call – reach out to your parents, specifically your father or mother, and express your love for them. Let me share a heartwarming story. A friend from my hometown shared an incident involving one of her classmates. He brought his 14-year-old son to watch a movie. Unfortunately, the boy refused to sit with his dad, instead choosing to stay at the front of the room. Before the film ended, the boy returned quietly and gave his father a warm embrace. The response was overwhelming – it surpassed all expectations. It’s not common for documentaries to be screened in China, but people were urging theaters to show more screenings. Families flocked together to watch, and I believe this is why we reached an impressive RMB 45 million at the box office – they all understood the importance of family.

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2024-12-06 19:25