Oscar Disqualification Leaves China Out of International Feature Race

China’s entry for the 96th Academy Awards, The Sinking of the Lisbon Maru, has been disqualified from competing in the Best International Feature Film category due to language restrictions, marking the first time in over two decades that China will not participate in the category.

The documentary, directed by Fang Li, recounts the sinking of the Japanese freighter Lisbon Maru during World War II. The ship, carrying British prisoners of war, was mistakenly torpedoed by a U.S. submarine. Japanese forces then sealed the holds, leaving the soldiers trapped. Of the 1,816 prisoners onboard, 384 were ultimately saved by local Chinese fishermen, though 828 lost their lives. The film, primarily based on interviews with British survivors and descendants, did not meet the Academy’s requirement for a predominantly non-English dialogue track, as stipulated for submissions in the international category.

“An international feature must contain more than 50 percent non-English dialogue,” said the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), the organization responsible for the Oscars. This requirement disqualified The Sinking of the Lisbon Maru from its initial submission in early October.

Despite this setback, the film remains eligible for the Best Documentary Feature category. It will debut at the Laemmle Monica Film Center in Santa Monica on November 22, following a screening at the Asian World Film Festival in Los Angeles on November 18.

This documentary would have been China’s first non-fiction submission in the international category, breaking away from the country’s history of entering dramatic blockbusters like The Wandering Earth 2 and Cliff Walkers. Notably, China has previously achieved nominations with titles such as Ju Dou (1991) and Hero (2003), both directed by Zhang Yimou.

Sinking of the Lisbon Maru premiered in June at the Shanghai International Film Festival and had a domestic release in September. Though disqualified from one category, the film’s continued eligibility in others keeps it in the Oscar race for 2024.