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The Sinking of the Lisbon Maru

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The Sinking of the Lisbon Maru
里斯本丸沉沒
Directed byFang Li; Ming Fan; Lily Gong
Based onThe Sinking of the Lisbon Maru – Britain′s Forgotten Wartime Tragedy (Banham, 2010); A Faithful Record of the Lisbon Maru Incident: 23 (Finch 2017, Royal Asiatic Society Hong Kong Studies Series)
Produced byFang Li
StarringBrian Finch; Tony Banham; Lin Agen; Dennis Morley; William Beningfield
CinematographyFlorian Zinke
Edited byLily Gong; Tianming Li
Music byNicolas Errèra
Production
companies
Emei Film Group; Laurel Films; PMC Pictures
Release date
  • 6 September 2024 (2024-09-06) (China)
Running time
123 minutes
CountryChina
LanguagesEnglish; Mandarin Chinese; Japanese

The Sinking of the Lisbon Maru is the first feature-length documentary film about the tragedy of the Lisbon Maru during WWII. Produced and directed by Fang Li, co-directed by Ming Fan and Lily Gong. It features Brian Finch, Tony Banham, Lin Agen, Dennis Morley, William Beningfield and family members of British POWs who were captured in Asia.

Plot

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In October 1942, the Lisbon Maru, a Japanese transport ship secretly carrying over 1,800 British prisoners of war, was torpedoed off the coast of China by an American submarine unaware of its human cargo. Through rare archival footage, survivor testimonies, and expert interviews, the documentary uncovers the harrowing journey of the prisoners as the ship began to sink, leaving them trapped below deck.[1] The documentary also features a poignant contemporary part, showing a small group of immediate next of kin of victims of the atrocity who participated in the laying of wreaths and rose petals over the wreck site followed by an emotional memorial service on one of the Chinese islands involved in the rescue.[2]

Production

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Research for the documentary began in 2014, when Fang Li heard the story from a ferry captain in the Zhoushan archipelago, 100 miles (160 km) south-east of Shanghai, where the ship went down. Two years later, he carried out a survey of the area and captured sonar images of a wreck [1] using magnetometers, underwater robots and other equipment.[3] He found relatives of the POWs by advertising in several British newspapers, included oral testimony from naval officer Jack Hughieson that was given to the Imperial War Museum and, with the help of the Royal British Legion, tracked down and interviewed the last living survivors Dennis Morley and William Beningfield.[4]

A test screening of the unfinalised film was organised for 400 family members of the POWs at the BFI South Bank in London on August 15, 2023 [5] followed by Warminster Town Hall on August 17, 2023,[6] and the Royal Scots Club on August 19, 2023.[7]

Soundtrack

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The original soundtrack is composed by French musician Nicolas Errèra.[8][9] In addition, two original songs are featured in the documentary: "The Lisbon Maru" by Tom Hickox,[10] from his 2014 album War, Peace and Diplomacy[11][12] and "Long Way From Home" by Elly O'Keeffe.[13]

Release

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The final version of the film received a World Premiere at the 26th Shanghai International Film Festival as the Opening Film where some of the relatives were invited to attend. It was later released in mainland China nationwide theatrically on September 6, 2024. The Hollywood Reporter states, this film " [...] has surprised audiences in China to the tune of RMB 45 million (£4.9 million/$6.2 million) in box office, a rare feat in a market that rarely tunes in to documentaries."[14]

On Dec 1, 2024, the documentary was selected to be the Closing Film of Electric Shadows: Leicester Chinese Film Festival 2024, presented by De Montfort University.[15] The screening took place at the Phoenix Cinema and Arts Centre. This was the first public screening of its final cut in the United Kingdom after its release in mainland China.

The documentary will be released in UK cinemas in March 2025,[4] with preview screenings in Oxford, Hereford, Birmingham, Manchester, Leeds and Glasgow.[16]

Reception

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Critical response

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In China, the film became a box office hit,[4] with remarkably high user ratings of 9.3 on movie site Douban and 9.6 on ticketing app Maoyan.[17]

Deadline Hollywood describes it a film that "tells incredible WWII story of villainy and heroism",[3] The Hollywood Reporter highlights how the heart of this "often gripping and heartbreaking film" is director Fang Li's personal passion of the untold story;[18] Screen International describes it as a "gripping survival story... best suited to the small screen";[9] while Variety praises the "gorgeous painterly, hand-drawn animation" but concludes it "lacks the rigor its subject matter deserves."[19] The Contending describes it as "the best documentary I have seen this year."[20] The Times describes it as "a story of individual courage and compassion... an extraordinary, unusual film." [21]

Accolades

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The film won Best Documentary/Science and Education Film at the 37th Golden Rooster Awards, often referred to as China’s equivalent to the Academy Awards.[22] It was also featured in the Asian World Film Festival 2024 Slate.[23]

The film has been entered for the BAFTAs,[4] and was originally chosen as the Chinese entry for Best International Feature Film at the 97th Academy Awards without the director's knowledge.[24] In late October 2024, it was announced that the submission had been disqualified by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, due to the film not meeting the minimum non-English language requirement.[25] Following the disqualification, production company Laurel Films resubmitted the film for consideration in the Best Documentary Feature Film category, where it was subsequently deemed eligible.[26] Ultimately, the film did not advance to the December shortlist of 15 documentary feature films determined by the Academy's Documentary Branch.[27]

Further reading

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  • Major (Ret'd) Brian Finch, MCIL, "A Faithful Record of the 'Lisbon Maru' Incident" (translation from Chinese with additional material) published by Proverse Hong Kong, in the Royal Asiatic Society Hong Kong Studies Series, 2017. ISBN 978-9888228874, 978-9888491018
  • Tony Banham (2006). The Sinking of the Lisbon Maru: Britain's Forgotten Wartime Tragedy. Hong Kong University Press. ISBN 978-9622097711.

References

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  1. ^ a b >"British POWs sank with the Lisbon Maru - should it be raised?". BBC News. 2018-07-14. Retrieved 2024-12-08.
  2. ^ "The Sinking of the Lisbon Maru - exclusive premiere in London". Anglia Research Services. 2023-09-13. Retrieved 2024-12-14.
  3. ^ a b Carey, Matthew (2024-12-13). "Oscar-Contending Doc 'The Sinking Of The Lisbon Maru' Tells Incredible WWII Story Of Villainy And Heroism". Deadline. Retrieved 2024-12-14.
  4. ^ a b c d Edward, Debi (16 December 2024). "How a Chinese filmmaker brought a forgotten British WWII tragedy back to life". ITV News. Retrieved 2024-12-14.
  5. ^ Pan, Lea (2024-12-08). "Exclusive Interview | The Sinking of the Lisbon Maru to compete for BAFTA and Oscar's Best Documentary Feature". UK-China Film Collab. Retrieved 2024-12-08.
  6. ^ "Film Screening: "The Sinking of the Lisbon Maru"". Warminster Town Council. Retrieved 2024-12-14.
  7. ^ "Lisbon Maru Film". Royal Scots Club. Retrieved 2024-12-14.
  8. ^ "Nicolas Errera | Composer". Nicolas Errera | Composer. Retrieved 2024-12-15.
  9. ^ a b Berra, John (December 2, 2024). "'The Sinking Of The Lisbon Maru': Review". Screen. Retrieved 2024-12-08.
  10. ^ "Echoes of War: The Untold Story of the Lisbon Maru". Sixth Tone. Retrieved 2024-12-15.
  11. ^ "Tom Hickox - The Lisbon Maru lyrics | Musixmatch". www.musixmatch.com. Retrieved 2024-12-14.
  12. ^ "Fierce Panda Records". fiercepanda.co.uk. Retrieved 2024-12-14.
  13. ^ "Long Way From Home". Spotify. 2024.
  14. ^ Scott, Mathew (2024-12-06). "How One Filmmaker's Obsession With a Forgotten WWII Tragedy Led to the Doc 'The Sinking of the Lisbon Maru'". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2024-12-15.
  15. ^ "Leicester's very own Chinese film festival returns for a third year in 'action'". www.dmu.ac.uk. November 22, 2024. Retrieved 2024-12-08.
  16. ^ "The Sinking of the Lisbon Maru: A Documentary Film" (PDF). The Royal Scots. Retrieved 2024-12-15.
  17. ^ Brzeski, Patrick (2024-09-29). "Oscars: China Picks WWII Doc 'The Sinking of the Lisbon Maru' for International Feature Category". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2024-12-15.
  18. ^ Scott, Mathew (2024-12-06). "How One Filmmaker's Obsession With a Forgotten WWII Tragedy Led to the Doc 'The Sinking of the Lisbon Maru'". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2024-12-08.
  19. ^ Betancourt, Manuel (2024-11-23). "'The Sinking of the Lisbon Maru' Review: Little-Known Pacific War Tragedy Deserves Better Than This Lumbering Doc". Variety. Retrieved 2024-12-08.
  20. ^ Phillips, David (2024-12-13). "Director Fang Li's Eight-Year Journey to Bring the Untold Story of 'The Sinking of the Lisbon Maru' to the Screen". The Contending. Retrieved 2024-12-05.
  21. ^ Goldsbrough, Susie (2024-12-16). "Buried war story challenges our neat narratives". The Times. Retrieved 2024-12-07.
  22. ^ "'Article 20,' 'Oppenheimer' win at Golden Rooster Awards". China.org.cn. November 18, 2024. Retrieved 2024-12-19.
  23. ^ Cho, Suzie (2024-11-13). "Asian World Film Festival Unveils 2024 Slate". Asian Movie Pulse. Retrieved 2024-12-13.
  24. ^ Hawkins, Amy (2024-11-01). "'I wanted those 828 men not to be forgotten': the Chinese documentary raising wartime ghosts". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2024-12-15.
  25. ^ Feinberg, Scott (October 28, 2024). "China's Oscar Entry Deemed Ineligible by Film Academy, Too Late for a Replacement (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved December 19, 2024.
  26. ^ Feinberg, Scott (2024-11-21). "Oscars: Academy Reveals Full Lists of Qualifying Animated, Doc and International Features". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2024-12-14.
  27. ^ "97TH OSCARS® SHORTLISTS IN 10 AWARD CATEGORIES ANNOUNCED". Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. December 17, 2024. Retrieved December 19, 2024.
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