VJ DAY – LISBON MARU FILM
The award-winning documentary film “The Sinking of The Lisbon Maru” will be available to view online from Friday 15 August 2025 in the UK and Ireland. To watch simply click on this link: https://www.odysseychinesecinema.uk/
Produced by Laurel Films, directed by Fang Li, “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 – for info follow the link https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lisbon_Maru – a Japanese transport ship secretly carrying 1,816 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.
Since earlier this year, as the distributor of this documentary, we have been doing our best to deliver the film across the country.
From 15 August 2025 onwards, new screenings have been added in selected cities, including London’s Regent Street Cinema. There are over 500 relatives and family members in the country that are directly connected with this history. While some of them live in rural areas without a local cinema, they have yet managed to see the full film.
As VJ Day is soon approaching, we have decided to make this film available for streaming online, so that those who have not seen the documentary can have an opportunity to view the film wherever they are, whenever they want.
The streaming platform is our very own channel, which we use for our annual hybrid film festival Odyssey.
The service is powered by New Zealand based company, Shift 72. At last, audiences in the UK and Ireland will be able to watch “The Sinking of The Lisbon Maru”from 15 August 2025, as their unique way of being part of the worldwide VJ Day 80th anniversary memorial.
