China-produced World War II film Dongji Rescue was premiered in Australia at a reception hosted by the Chinese consulate general in Melbourne on Wednesday, one day before its official screening in the country.
Over 200 people attended the film reception commemorating the 80th anniversary of the victory of the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War.
In his speech, Chinese Consul-General in Melbourne Fang Xinwen emphasized that the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression opened up the main battlefield of the World Anti-Fascist War in the East and made significant contributions to the victory of the World Anti-Fascist War.
China and other countries in the anti-fascist alliance, including Australia and Britain, supported each other and fought side by side, performing many heroic deeds, Fang said, adding that the Lisbon Maru incident during World War II, on which the film is based, is a shining example.
Dongji Rescue tells the story of how Chinese fishermen risked their lives to rescue 384 of the more than 1,800 British prisoners of war from the Japanese ship Lisbon Maru in 1942.
Some viewers praised the movie for showing Chinese people's love for other human beings, while others observed that it's a great movie that reminds people of cooperation in a time of tense competitions between major powers.
"Such a powerful story. Movies around these wars, a lot of talk, particularly in Australia, we hear about from, say, the European perspective. I wasn't completely all across the Chinese stories. And what left the biggest impression on me was it was an example of utter sacrifice and of love for other human beings," said a viewer named Ben McMahon.
"I thought the film was also extremely topical. I thought it was a great film for 2025 when global politics is very tense between many of the great powers. We can get on very, very well together when we work towards peace and harmony, not towards competing. So I thought it was a topical film, and a beautiful film of the nature of Chinese people," another viewer James Darry said.
World War II film Dongji Rescue premieres in Australia
