How One Filmmaker’s Obsession With a Forgotten WWII Tragedy Led to the Doc ‘The Sinking of the Lisbon Maru’

Image from The Hollywood Reporter

• Fang Li stumbled upon the Lisbon Maru story by chance while location scouting with author Han Han, sparking a personal mission to find the long-lost wreckage and bring the victims' forgotten tales to light.
• The film's simple yet powerful hand-painted animation and focus on the oral histories of survivors and victims' families has made it a surprise box office hit in China, earning over $6.2 million and connecting with audiences in unexpected ways.