Hollywood documentary brings Diaoyu Islands truth to new audience

Vessels from the China Maritime Surveillance and the Japan Coast Guard are seen near disputed Diaoyu Islands, in the East China Sea, in this photo taken by Kyodo September 10, 2013. [Photo/Agencies]

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Hollywood writer and director Chris D. Nebe screened a new documentary about the Diaoyu Islands at the REAL D Theater on Tuesday, saying he hopes to show Americans the truth about the territory.

"Diaoyu Islands, The Truth" is produced by Monarex Hollywood Corporation and is one of twelve documentaries in Nebe's "Mysterious China" series introducing Chinese history, culture and rapid development to the world.

The debut attracted nearly 100 viewers, who learned from the 40-minute film that the Diaoyu Islands have been Chinese territory since ancient times, and that Imperial Japan annexed the Diaoyu Islands from China in 1895 after the First Sino-Japanese War.

The short feature holds the view that "the real Diaoyu Islands conflict goes from the so-called administrative rights of the United States. After the Second World War, instead of returning the islands to China, the United States claimed 'administrative rights.' In 1971, America gave the islands back to Japan, ignoring China's long-standing claim."

In the last part of the film, Nebe asserts that "America can quell the tension by encouraging his Japanese ally to return the Diaoyu Islands to China and apologize to Chinese people for the war crimes of Imperial Japan."

"My view point is that... the truth about Diaoyu Islands issues are completely wrong told by Western media. I hope the movie will change it. We are pushing to help Americans know the truth of Diaoyu Islands," Nebe said.

Japan should do the right thing and give the islands back to China, while Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe should go to Nanjing to apologize to China for the war crimes of Imperial Japan. These islands should not be a case for disrupting peace and harmony between China and Japan, he added.

Klaus Schmitt came to see the film with his wife. "Very little of my friends know Diaoyu Islands, only if you who are politically active or interested in history, but most people don't know it," he said.

He believed that the film gave him a neutral overall view on the issue.

Audience member Lynn Crandall, who works at the University of Southern California, said the documentary encouraged peace. "The film is a strong statement for us to try to find peace, we must find a way to share the world in brotherhood. I believe we should be neutral. I think we are too much on the side of Japan, I think we should work for peace, not for divide."

Anthony D. Ross, a lawyer who said he did not previously know about the conflict between China and Japan over the Diaoyu Islands, told Xinhua, "It tells a lot that I did not know."

"Diaoyu Islands, The Truth" will be broadcast on American public television and is also available on the Internet, according to Monarex.