The documentary The Sinking of Lisbon Maru premieres nationwide on Sept 6. The film tells the very human story of British prisoners of war and Chinese fishermen during World War II (1939-45).

In Sept 1942, the Japanese military commandeered the Lisbon Maru to carry British prisoners of war from Hong Kong to Japan. Near the waters of Dongji Island in Zhoushan, Zhejiang province, the ship was mistakenly torpedoed by a United States submarine, which had identified it as a Japanese warship.

The film's climax is the heroic rescue by local fishermen, who risked their lives to save the British POWs. Over the course of one day and one night, with 46 boats making 65 trips, 384 lives were saved.

The film also serves as a poignant tribute to those who perished. Despite the fishermen's brave efforts, 828 British POWs tragically lost their lives.

This rescue effort forged a timeless cross-cultural friendship. Though most of the rescuers and rescued have since passed away, this bond lives on through their descendants.

People watch the documentary The Sinking of Lisbon Maru in London in August. [Photo/Tide News]

Since its preview, The Sinking of Lisbon Maru has received widespread acclaim from audiences in both China and the United Kingdom.

To accurately depict this piece of history, the movie production team spent two years locating the shipwreck and placed full-page ads in British media to find the surviving POWs and their families.

The team collected over 10,000 historical photos from different countries, studied millions of words of English and Japanese documents, contacted over 380 families of British POWs, and interviewed more than 120 people.

At its world premiere at the 26th Shanghai International Film Festival, one British viewer remarked that the story is a beacon of light amid the darkness of war and an Eastern interpretation of the "Dunkirk spirit".