Veteran filmmaker Peggy Chiao called for renewed engagement with Taiwan's complex past during her appearance at the 20th Changchun Film Festival, where she presented her latest work The Sinking of the Lisbon Maru. The producer emphasized the importance of understanding historical events that shaped cross-strait relations and East Asian geopolitics.
Chiao's documentary examines the 1942 sinking of a Japanese prisoner transport ship carrying nearly 2,000 British POWs through the Taiwan Strait – an event she describes as 'a forgotten chapter of World War II that connects multiple nations.' The Taiwan-based creator stressed that such stories help residents of Taiwan 'trace shared histories beyond contemporary political divisions.'
The film comes as cultural preservation gains attention across Asia, with recent surveys showing 68% of young adults in the Taiwan region expressing interest in pre-1945 historical narratives. Chiao's work forms part of a growing movement using creative media to explore regional identity while maintaining academic rigor.
