Dongji Rescue

Dongji Rescue
Theatrical release poster
Simplified Chinese东极岛
Traditional Chinese東極島
Hanyu PinyinDōngjí Dǎo
Directed byGuan Hu
Fei Zhenxiang
Written byChen Shu
Zhang Ji
Dong Runnian
Produced byLiang Jing
StarringZhu Yilong
Leo Wu
Ni Ni
CinematographyGao Weizhe
Music byAtli Örvarsson
Production
companies
Distributed by
  • Tao Piao Piao
  • China Lion Film
  • Trinity Cine Asia
Release date
  • August 8, 2025 (2025-08-08)
Running time
134 minutes[1]
CountryChina
Languages
  • Mandarin
  • English
BudgetUS$80 million[2]
Box officeUS$50.2 million[3]

Dongji Rescue (Chinese: 东极岛) is a 2025 Chinese historical war action film directed by Guan Hu and Fei Zhenxiang, and starring Zhu Yilong, Leo Wu and Ni Ni.[4] Based on the real-life Lisbon Maru incident during World War II, the film tells the story of Chinese fishermen who risked their lives to save over 300 British prisoners of war after a Japanese transport ship sank off the coast of Zhoushan, east China's Zhejiang province, in 1942.[2] The film was released in China on August 8, 2025.[5][6]

Plot

During World War II, on September 27, 1942, the Japanese cargo ship Lisbon Maru, carrying 1,816 British prisoners of war from Hong Kong to Japan, is torpedoed by an American submarine. The ship begins to sink slowly in the waters near Zhoushan, China. About two nautical miles from the attack site lies Dongji Island, a Chinese island then under Japanese occupation. Two pirates, Ah Bi and Ah Dang, live on the island.

One day, Ah Dang discovers an Englishman floating at sea. He rescues the man and pulls him aboard his boat, but Ah Bi stops him, believing the rescue is too dangerous. After returning to the island, Ah Dang disagrees with Ah Bi and goes back out to sea, eventually bringing the man to Dongji Island.

The man is Thomas Newman, one of the British prisoners of war thrown into the sea after the Lisbon Maru is attacked. Aware of Ah Dang's stubborn nature, Ah Bi asks Chen, a local schoolteacher, to communicate with Newman. Ah Bi then informs Mr. Wu, the father of the woman he loves, Ah Hua, about Newman's presence. Although Ah Bi repeatedly tries to drive Newman away, Ah Dang always intervenes.

Not long afterward, Japanese troops arrive on Dongji Island. Their commander, Lieutenant Commander Hideo Wada, demands that the villagers reveal the whereabouts of the British escapee. When the villagers claim they know nothing, Hideo executes a man and a young boy. Unwilling to let the villagers suffer because of him, Newman surrenders. However, the hat he wears makes Hideo suspect that the villagers have deliberately hidden him. As punishment, Hideo selects several villagers, including Wan Liang, Ah Lu, and Qian Jin, to be taken prisoner. Refusing to let them be arrested, Mr. Wu claims responsibility and insists that the rest of the villagers know nothing about Newman. Hideo immediately shoots him dead. Shortly afterward, Ah Dang volunteers to become a prisoner as well.

Once aboard the ship, Newman is beheaded, and his head is thrown into the sea. Meanwhile, the captured villagers are locked inside an overcrowded holding compartment. Admiral Hisao Wataru orders all Japanese personnel to evacuate the sinking ship on small boats while leaving the prisoners behind to drown. As water begins flooding the compartment, Ah Dang tries to swim in search of an escape route.

Back on Dongji Island, villagers attempting to bury the dead are fired upon by Japanese soldiers. The incident enrages Chen, a former soldier, who retrieves a hidden pistol and attacks the Japanese guards. Although he manages to wound one soldier, he is captured and later executed by being burned alive.

Meanwhile, Ah Bi secretly boards the Lisbon Maru and rescues Ah Dang, who is still searching for a way out. Ah Dang refuses to flee, choosing instead to break open the sealed door of a cargo hold to free the prisoners. The escape is quickly discovered, and Japanese troops open fire on the fleeing prisoners. During the chaos, Ah Dang charges at Hideo and succeeds in killing him, but he is shot and later dies after Ah Bi brings him back to Dongji Island. Enraged by Ah Dang's death, Ah Bi kills all the Japanese soldiers stationed on the island. To fulfill Ah Dang's final wish, he returns to the Lisbon Maru and frees all the surviving British prisoners.

On Dongji Island, Ah Hua demolishes a wall in her home, revealing the family ancestral altar behind it. She declares that the villagers' long-standing obedience has been meaningless, as it has only led to their deaths. Determined never to submit again, she defies the village tradition that forbids women from sailing. Her words inspire the entire community, who unite to rescue the remaining British prisoners. In the end, Ah Bi dies at sea while trying to save a boat caught in the whirlpool created by the sinking Lisbon Maru. Witnessing the villagers' rescue efforts, the Japanese forces finally withdraw.[7]

Cast

Production

The creative team began preparations in 2019, a process that spanned six years.[8] In 2023, they set up filming locations in Wuxi, where the crew built a full-scale replica of a giant prisoner-of-war ship. They also used nearly lost intangible cultural heritage techniques to construct 24 fishing boats modeled after those from more than 80 years ago.[9][10]

Principal photography started on 24 June 2024 and wrapped on 6 January 2025.[11][12] The film was shot on locations in Zhoushan, Zhejiang.[11]

Release

Dongji Rescue was released on 8 August 2025 in China.[5] It was released in the US and UK on 22 August 2025.[13]

Awards and nominations

Year Award Category Nominee Result Ref.
2025 Visual Effects Society Awards Outstanding Supporting Visual Effects in a Photoreal Feature Tim Crosbie, Celeste Chen, Christian Sjöstedt, Lea Benjovitz Nominated [14]
Weibo Awards Anticipated Movie of the Year Dongji Rescue Won [15]

References

  1. ↑ "Dongji Rescue (15)". British Board of Film Classification. 14 August 2025. Retrieved 14 August 2025.
  2. 1 2 "Guan Hu's $80 Million War Epic 'Dongji Rescue' Heads to U.K., European Cinemas". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved August 31, 2025.
  3. ↑ "Dongji Rescue". The Numbers. Retrieved November 21, 2025.
  4. ↑ Shen Yanrong (沈雁容) (2025-06-13). 朱一龙、吴磊、倪妮领衔 《东极岛》定档8月8日. hangzhou.com.cn (in Chinese). Retrieved 2025-08-14.
  5. 1 2 Ramachandran, Naman (19 August 2025). "Zhu Yilong, Ni Ni on 'Dongji Rescue' WWII Maritime Epic: 'Humanism Doesn't Recognize National Boundaries'". Variety. Retrieved 19 August 2025.
  6. ↑ "Dongji Rescue 2025 - Kinoarea". kinoarea.com. Retrieved 2025-08-19.
  7. ↑ "'He owed his life to those Chinese fisherman': Dongji Rescue and the true story of a forgotten act of WW2 heroism". www.bbc.com. 2025-08-21. Retrieved 2025-11-12.
  8. ↑ 北京文化项目储备丰富布局深化 助推产业发展. TOM Group (in Chinese). 2019-11-20. Retrieved 2025-08-31.
  9. ↑ 独家揭秘电影《东极岛》幕后故事 75%场景在无锡搭建拍摄. Wuxi Daily (in Chinese). 2025-07-25. Retrieved 2025-08-31.
  10. ↑ 《东极岛》亮相上合电影节开幕式. Maoyan (in Chinese). 2025-07-04. Retrieved 2025-08-31.
  11. 1 2 管虎新作！朱一龙、吴磊领衔！电影《东极岛》在滨湖开机. The Paper (in Chinese). Shanghai United Media Group. 2025-06-25. Retrieved 2025-08-14.
  12. ↑ Zhen Ting (振亭) (2025-01-06). 电影《东极岛》杀青：耗时6年打造的大片. sina.com.cn (in Chinese). Retrieved 2025-08-14.
  13. ↑ Jones, Emma (2025-08-21). "'He owed his life to those Chinese fisherman': Dongji Rescue and the true story of a forgotten act of WW2 heroism". BBC. Retrieved 2025-08-22.
  14. ↑ Victorian, Brande (January 13, 2026). "'Avatar: Fire and Ash' Leads 2026 Visual Effects Society Nominations With 10 Nods". Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved January 13, 2026.
  15. ↑ 《东极岛》亮相微博电影之夜 获"年度特别推荐影片". Maoyan (in Chinese). 2025-06-16. Retrieved 2025-08-31.
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