Feature documentary ‘The Sinking of the Lisbon Maru’ is set for a year-round release across UK and Ireland cinemas as a response to the world-wide 80th VE & VJ Anniversary memorial activities.

Produced by Laurel Films, directed by Fang Li who was also the Executive Producer, ‘The Sinking of the Lisbon Maru’ is a poignant documentary that sheds light on a forgotten chapter of World War II. 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. The film also highlights local Chinese fishermen who risked their lives to rescue as many prisoners as they could.

“I first heard of the story about Lison Maru in 2014, when I was making a film on Dongji Island in China. All these years have passed, yet no body managed to find its wreck. This sparked a huge curiosity for me,” explained Fang Li. “The curiosity then became a commitment. Apart from being determined to locate the wreck in the next few years, I also realised that the 828 British young men resting under the East China Sea were in similar age as my son. A story must be told about them, I thought. This is the biggest commitment I have made in my personal life to over 1,800 families. In 2019 when I invited some family members to visit the island to say proper farewell to their loved ones, I was relieved that finally these souls far away from home could reunite with their families and rest in peace. The biggest commitment of my life to all the families related to Lisbon Maru is now almost complete, that the film gets a distribution in the UK”, the director explains.

Brian Finch, Military Advisor also Associate Producer of the film has shared more insights. “I had been hoping for many years that a film would be made of this very important but almost completely forgotten piece of World War II history. I was delighted to be able to help Fang Li in the making of this documentary and introduce him to hundreds of relatives of those POWs who suffered on the Lisbon Maru. His determination to see justice done to the memory of those men, particularly the 828 still lying on the seabed of the East China Sea was evident from the outset. This and his empathy with the relatives and compassion for their grieving shone through like a beacon. He faced numerous hurdles in the making of the film, including the impact of COVID as well as many technical and financial difficulties. But he refused to give up. It is fitting that the film is now being released in the UK this year, the 80th Anniversary of the end of the Second World War.”

NGO UK-China Film Collab picked up the distribution rights for both the UK and Ireland earlier this year with plans to experiment a grass-root model for the film’s distribution.

“The acquisition and distribution planning for this film has been a long journey”, says Hiu Man Chan, founder and director of the NGO. We are not a profit driven distributor like most companies and distribution is neither our usual activity. But when a film like this comes along which aligns with our missions, we feel like it must be done right, balanced. The motivation to release this film in Europe is our way to honour all those brave souls involved in the Lisbon Maru incident, from both sides.”

The making of the documentary already gathered hundreds of family members around the world who are related to the British POWs, with the Lison Maru Memorial Association (LiMMA) being established as a result. For many of them, it’s the first time to learn about what happened to their loved one during the war as the history has been overlooked for more than 80 years.

The film will be available at select cinemas in the UK and Ireland across the whole year of 2025 from March onwards. Instead of a usual distribution model, it is going to be a ‘marathon’, says the distributor.

‘The Sinking of the Lison Maru’ held its official UK Premiere event at the Regent Street Cinema in London on 17 March.

UK-China Film Collab is an NGO spin-off from a former UK Research and Innovation funded project. It previously released ‘The Six: An Untold Story of Titanic’s Chinese Survivors’, ‘Lust, Caution’ (re-release) and is the presenter of a film festival titled ‘Odyssey’ in the UK.

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