"Let the world see, let us remember": Film on Nanjing Massacre to bid for Oscar Best International Feature Film

The film depicting the Nanjing Massacre during World War II "Dead to Rights", will compete for the Best International Feature Film at the 98th Oscars, according to a recent announcement published on its official Weibo account.

"Thank you to every viewer who stepped into the cinema. Let the world see, let us remember," the tweet reads.

The 98th Academy Awards is scheduled to take place on March 15, 2026, at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles.

Meanwhile, the Last Dance and Left-Handed Girl will represent China's Hong Kong Special Administrative Region and Taiwan, respectively, to compete in Oscar's Best International Feature Film category.

"Dead to Rights" draws on verified photographic evidence of Japanese wartime atrocities in China in 1937. The film tells the story of a group of Chinese civilians who sought refuge in a photography studio during the brutal occupation of Nanjing, China's capital at the time, risking their lives to preserve proof of the horrors committed by the Japanese aggressors.

Data from the online ticketing platform Maoyan showed that, by Sunday, the film had already grossed over 3 billion yuan at the box office.

Alongside the film's strong box office performance, a recent survey by the China Youth Daily Social Survey Centre involving 10,306 respondents found that Dead to Rights was one of two must-see films or TV series released this year focusing on the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression. 80.0% of respondents expressed interest in the film. The other film is Evil Unbound, which depicts the atrocities of Japan's notorious Unit 731 during World War II. 

These War of Resistance-themed films and TV series have resonated with audiences and sparked a wave of remembrance tourism to Nanjing. Many Chinese netizens, particularly young people, have been posting about the filming locations and other historically significant sites, such as the Memorial Hall of the Victims of the Nanjing Massacre by Japanese Invaders. These sites are often captioned with emotional reflections and side-by-side comparisons of film stills and real-life scenery. (By Ma Ziqian / China Youth Daily)