On the evening of May 23 (local time), China Film Festival 2025 opened at London’s Regent Street Cinema. Renowned as the "birthplace of British cinema," this historic venue hosted the UK's first public screening of moving images by the Lumière brothers in 1896. The event is hosted by the China Film Administration and the Chinese Embassy in the UK, and organized by the China Film Archive and Nouvelles d’Europe.

Chinese Ambassador to the UK Zheng Zeguang and Deputy Director of the China Film Administration Lu Liang attended the opening ceremony and delivered speeches. Nearly 200 distinguished guests gathered for the event, including John McLean, Chairman of the UK-China Business Development Centre; Martin Albrow, Fellow of the British Academy of Social Sciences; Stanley Johnson, a key creator of the documentary In the Footsteps of Marco Polo; sinologist Frances Wood; Yang Jianmin, Executive Vice President of UnionPay International Europe; and family members of British POWs from the Lisbon Maru. Together, they watched the opening film The Sinking of the Lisbon Maru.

Guests Attending the Opening Ceremony

In his speech, Zheng Zeguang noted that this year marks the 80th anniversary of the victory in the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War. He emphasized that the Lisbon Maru incident was a true story from World War II. Highlighting the importance of cultural exchange as one of the most effective ways to foster mutual understanding and dispel prejudice, he expressed hope that more efforts would be made to strengthen mutual understanding and win-win cooperation between the Chinese and British peoples. He also noted that the UK Parliament highly appreciates China’s establishment of the “Dongji Fishermen's Rescue of British POWs Memorial” in Zhoushan.

In his speech, Lu Liang stated that as the opening film, The Sinking of the Lisbon Maru allows audiences to revisit the shared history and profound friendship between China and the UK in their joint fight against fascism, while shining a light on the path of peace for the future.

In an interview, Stanley Johnson (father of former UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson) praised The Sinking of the Lisbon Maru as a well-crafted, emotionally powerful, and excellently narrated film. He expressed deep admiration for the bravery of the Chinese fishermen in Zhoushan who risked their lives to rescue British POWs, calling it a “film worthy of an Oscar” that deserves to be seen by a wider audience.

Julian Alcantara, a family member of a Lisbon Maru victim, said in an interview that the documentary holds great significance for him and many other families, as it fills a major gap in their understanding of their loved ones’ experiences.

(Translated by Luo Desai)