A poster of the documentary The Sinking of the Lisbon Maru. [Photo/Tide News]

The documentary film The Sinking of the Lisbon Maru has been nominated for Best Documentary/Science and Educational Film for the 37th China Golden Rooster Awards, according to a press conference of the 2024 China Golden Rooster and Hundred Flowers Film Festival on Oct 27.

The film tells the heartfelt story of British prisoners of war and Chinese fishermen during World War II (1939-45).

In 1942, the Japanese military commandeered the Lisbon Maru to carry British prisoners near the waters of Zhoushan, and the ship was mistakenly torpedoed by a United States submarine. Local fishermen risked their lives to save 384 British prisoners of war on the sinking Lisbon Maru.

On Sept 28, the film announced that it was selected to represent the Chinese mainland in the bid for the Best International Feature Film at the 97th Academy Awards.

Fang Li, director and producer of The Sinking of the Lisbon Maru, expressed that the nomination itself is a significant recognition and honor for the film.

As of Oct 28, The Sinking of the Lisbon Maru has been in theaters for 53 days, grossing over 43.94 million yuan ($6.16 million) at the box office.