VJ Day 80 Special: The Sinking of the Lisbon Maru

This 2024 WWII documentary is available online for streaming from 15 August 2025, the 80th Anniversary of VJ Day and the end of World War Two.

★★★★ The Guardian

‘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, a Japanese transport ship secretly carrying over 1,800 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…

We would like to dedicate this documentary to all those who served, fought and saved lives in the Far East during WWII and beyond.

Charity screenings will continue to be organised across the United Kingdom and Ireland to raise funds for the Lisbon Maru Memorial Association, which came out of the making of this documentary.