Photo – courtesy of Laemmle Monica Film Center ©
Acclaimed filmmaker Fang Li brought a hidden chapter of World War II to light with The Sinking of the Lisbon Maru, which had its North American premiere at the Asian World Film Festival on November 18, 2024. The screening played to a packed theatre, leaving audiences deeply moved by its powerful storytelling and historical significance. Now, the documentary embarks on its Oscar-qualifying run, showing at the Laemmle Monica Film Center in Santa Monica from November 22–28.
The journey to uncover this long-forgotten story began when Fang Li was filming on Dongji Island. There, he first heard whispers of the Lisbon Maru—a Japanese freighter carrying British prisoners of war that sank off the coast of China in 1942. Troubled by the fact that this tragedy remained largely unknown, Fang set out on a quest to locate the ship’s final resting place. The deeper he dug, the more it became clear: this wasn’t just a lost piece of history; it was a story of unimaginable resilience, sacrifice, and courage.
“As I learned more about the Lisbon Maru, I realized it was more than a forgotten tragedy—it is a story about courage and how strong we can be even when facing the unimaginable. Bringing this story to life is my way of honouring the young men who died and making sure that their bravery and that of the Chinese fishermen will not be forgotten,” said Fang Li.
A Story That Deserves to Be Told
On October 2, 1942, the Lisbon Maru was transporting 1,816 British prisoners of war when it was spotted by a U.S. submarine off the coast of China. While American submariners typically avoided civilian ships, they noticed armed Japanese soldiers on deck and fired a torpedo—unaware that hundreds of men were locked below in the ship’s dark, airless holds.
As the vessel began to sink, Japanese troops covered the hatches with planks and canvas, trapping the prisoners inside. Some managed to break free, scrambling toward the open sea, but many were gunned down or drowned in the chaos.
With the freighter slipping beneath the waves, a Japanese naval ship arrived to rescue their own soldiers, leaving the remaining POWs to their fate. But in an extraordinary act of bravery, local fishermen from Zhoushan Island defied gunfire and launched their small boats into the fray, pulling 384 survivors from the water. In the end, 828 men lost their lives. Those who survived were eventually recaptured and sent to Japanese prison camps, their suffering far from over.
This harrowing yet inspiring story has remained buried for decades, but The Sinking of the Lisbon Maru ensures it will not be forgotten. Through painstaking research, gripping first-hand accounts, and stunning cinematography, Fang Li’s documentary revives the voices of the lost, shining a long-overdue spotlight on a moment of history that deserves to be remembered.
