China has picked World War II documentary The Sinking of the Lisbon Maru as its submission for the Oscars’ best international feature film category. Directed by Fang Li, the film’s selection is the first documentary that the country has picked as its representative at the Academy Awards.

China has selected The Sinking of the Lisbon Maru, a World War II documentary by director Fang Li, as its representative at the 97th Academy Awards in the best international feature film category. The pick marks the first time since China began sending titles to the Oscars in 1979 that it has put forward a documentary,

China has chosen filmmaker Fang Li's Second World War documentary, The Sinking of the Lisbon Maru, as its official entry for a Best International Feature Oscar. It is the first documentary film from China to compete in the Academy Awards since it started to send films at the event.