China has chosen The sinking of the Lisbon MaruThe World War II documentary filmed by director Fang Li was nominated for the Best International Feature Film Award at the 97th Academy Awards as his representative work. The selection marks the first time China has submitted a documentary since it began nominating films for the Oscars in 1979, but it also continues a trend of China selecting films that stoke nationalist sentiment at home.
The film, which opened the Shanghai International Film Festival in June, recreates a relatively unknown scene from World War II in 1942, when the Lisbon Maru, an unmarked Japanese troopship, was hit by a U.S. Navy torpedo. The ship was used to transport prisoners of war, and when the ship sank, more than 800 British soldiers died from drowning or Japanese artillery fire. Nearby Chinese fishermen risked their lives to rescue nearly 380 other British prisoners of war and provided shelter to the prisoners from Japanese troops. The emotional core of the film lies in the bravery and sacrifice of these ordinary Chinese heroes.
The film’s director and producer Feng Feng traveled around the country to piece together the story of the shipwreck and the experiences of the survivors. The director, who has a long career in the Chinese industry and also happens to have experience as a marine surveyor, told Chinese media that he had traveled across China, the United Kingdom, Japan, the United States and Canada in search of surviving prisoners of war or their families. He also worked to discover the actual shipwreck believed to be the Lisbon Maru, documenting the process on film. Feng said he ultimately interviewed more than 130 descendants and collected tens of thousands of historical photos to flesh out the film’s story. Other voices in the film include the only known living Chinese fishermen involved in the rescue, and the first historian to study the event in depth.
The sinking of the Lisbon Maru After being released on September 6, the film has gained a huge reputation in the country. According to Maoyan, the film grossed about $5 million in Chinese theaters, an unusually strong performance for a documentary in China.
China has participated in the Oscar competition for 25 years and has been nominated for Best International Film twice. Zhang Yimou received China’s first Oscar nomination in 1990 for the romantic tragedy starring Gong Li Ju Doua feat he would later repeat in the martial arts classic hero In 2002, Chinese films had yet to win an Oscar.
