On June 14, the first screening (first film) of the 26th Shanghai International Film Festival kicked off at Shanghai Cinemas. The documentary film "The Sinking of the Lisbon Maru" was produced and directed by Fang Li. , as the film that sold out the fastest after the ticket opening of this film festival, was screened here.
producer and director Fang Li, while thanking everyone for their support, also expressed his hope to recommend this movie to more people: "We are not just trying to complete a movie, we are trying to protect a piece of history together. This This piece of history has been submerged for 82 years and was denied by the Japanese military for 82 years. We want the whole world to know that this happened right at our doorstep. Our ancestors are the witnesses and participants of this history. , is the rescuer, this can only be done by us Chinese!"
Audience: The whole world should watch this movie
In October 1942, 1,816 Allied prisoners of war were imprisoned in the Japanese armed transport ship "Lisbon Maru" " cabin, traveling from Hong Kong, China to Japan. Since the Japanese army violated the Geneva Convention and did not hoist any flags or signs on board the ship for transporting prisoners of war, the Lisbon Maru was hit by a torpedo by a US submarine in the waters off Dongji Island in Zhoushan, China, after sailing smoothly at sea for three days. In order to prevent the prisoners of war from escaping, the Japanese army attempted to bury all the prisoners of war in this sea area. However, at the critical moment, 255 Zhoushan fishermen braved the hail of bullets and rowed their boats to rescue the prisoners of war who fell into the water... This true story The history that happened 82 years ago is the historical truth that Fang Li will reveal in "The Sinking of the Lisbon Maru" which took 8 years to complete.
Early in the morning, there was a long queue at the door of the theater. After the movie opens, following the narrations of Fang Li and the interviewees, a series of dusty stories, vivid characters, and the hatred of the war and longing for his family that resonate with the whole world, Everyone present was immersed in the shock and sadness brought about by that period of history, and sobs could be heard from time to time in the venue. When the lights came on after the screening, many people were still wiping tears. When producer and director Fang Li took the stage, applause and cheers erupted to express respect and affirmation to him.
Fang Li introduced to the audience the members of the creative team who worked with him to complete the film. He also invited the descendants of Allied prisoners of war and Zhoushan fishermen who came to watch the film to come on stage to meet the audience. The British historian who served as a historical consultant for the film Doctor Tony Banham also witnessed this exciting moment at the scene. He said: "I never thought that today, 20 years later, in Shanghai, Fang Li and his team would be able to bring the most shocking and interesting experience in my life. Resonance, the most empathetic historical memory is presented in such a great documentary film."
Some viewers bluntly said, "The first screening at the Shanghai Film Festival was too powerful." Some viewers couldn't help but choke up during the interview. Just because "the true historical story touches the heartstrings" and "every word and every sentence attacks the tear ducts"; some viewers said that they only knew that such a thing happened in the waters of Dongji Island 82 years ago after watching this movie, " This movie should be watched by the whole world!”
Stand up and “save history” Fang Li: This is my mission
In 2014, Fang Li heard local fishermen talk about a sunken ship on the seabed nearby on Dongji Island. His curiosity drove him to check the information, and he suspected that the sunken ship was the historical "Lisbon Maru". In order to confirm his idea, he led a professional team to conduct two searches in 2016 and 2017, and finally deviated from the historical facts. The sinking of the "Lisbon Maru" and its specific coordinates were found and confirmed on the seabed at coordinates 36 kilometers away.
is not only a filmmaker, but also an expert in geophysical exploration and marine technology. It is precisely because of these two identities that Fang Li becomes the "chosen person who must do this" in the words of the film's international planner Jiao Xiongping. And when he learned that that period of history was being forgotten and ignored by the world, and that only two people who had witnessed it were alive, he devoted himself at all costs to finding clues about everyone who had nothing to do with the Lisbon Maru Shen. In his words, : “We are not young anymore, we have to save that period of history and let the world know that something like this happened at our doorstep 82 years ago."
So, with the assistance of historical consultant Tony Banham and military consultant Feinqi, Fang Li traveled to China, Britain, the United States, Canada, and Japan, and finally found more than 380 descendants of those who had experienced it, and was pleasantly surprised in the process Another survivor was found.
The production cycle of "The Sinking of the Lisbon Maru" lasted eight years. Even if the capital chain was cut off during this period, Fang Li never thought of giving up, "I will do this even if it takes 18 years. This is a natural mission and a commitment from the heart. "As the film's international planner Jiao Xiongping said: "He used a camera to record a blank in history. He did great things in history. I am proud to be his friend and proud to participate in this project. "
Descendants of prisoners of war: I am deeply grateful to the Chinese
In the historical story of "The Sinking of the Lisbon Maru", the ancestors of Chinese fishermen from Zhoushan left a strong mark. Fang Li revealed that Dongji Island is a very small island. There were only a few hundred people on the island at that time, but when they saw the Allied prisoners of war floating on the sea, with the simple creed of "saving a life, a star in the sky", they rowed into the sea despite the hail of bullets from the Japanese army again and again. They rescued 384 people and hid three prisoners of war when the Japanese troops landed on the island and escorted them to the British Consulate in Chongqing for a month. “They saved far more people than they thought. Dennis Morley, an eyewitness in the film, recalled this. Because of the heroic behavior of the Chinese fishermen, the Japanese army, which originally planned to shoot all the prisoners of war, had to cease fire to rescue them. In the end, more than 700 people were able to return to their hometowns, and this Behind the scenes is the continuation of the lives of more than 700 families.
During this trip to the International Film Festival, more than a dozen descendants of Allied prisoners of war also came to support the first screening of the film. Thank you Fang Li for letting the world hear the voice of history. Their families were finally relieved after decades.
The survivor Denis Morley who was interviewed in the film has now passed away, and his daughter Denise Winnie specially came to attend the first screening of the Shanghai International Film Festival. , that day she not only met the descendants of the Zhoushan fishermen who participated in the rescue, but also received an unexpected surprise at the scene - Hong Kong scholar Shen Jian who came to watch the movie took a photo taken by her father Dennis Morley when he went to Hong Kong in 2006. The photo was given to her, which made her very excited: "No matter in the past or now, I am deeply grateful to the Chinese people. The son of Allied prisoner of war Andrew also said at the press conference: "If it weren't for the rescue of Zhoushan fishermen, I wouldn't be sitting here now." "
From screen movies to the real world, from historical stories to modern life, "The Sinking of the Lisbon Maru" uses detailed interviews and exploration to establish emotional connections around the world, showing the humanitarian spirit engraved in the bones of the Chinese people, and also allowing the audience to While feeling the glory of humanity, we should bear in mind the trauma that war has caused to all mankind, and cherish the hard-won peace even more.
Text by Xiao Yang, reporter of Beijing Youth Daily
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