Jeepney Press November-December 2022 / Angat Buhay

Katips in Japan Tokyo Screening Highlights

by Angat Pinoy Japan

Katips Cast with the organizing team of Angat Pinoy Japan and Engage.

Arrival of the Katips cast at the Narita Airport, October 13, 2022

In this age of Tiktok and short attention span, how do we really measure the success of an advocacy? As often true with commercial undertakings, people are usually focused only on what they can readily measure – headcount, ticket sales, and sometimes, the number of heart emojis in a social media post. Pero paano nga ba sinusukat ang tagumpay ng isang pakikibaka? How do we even measure a movie’s impact and long-term influence? How do we gauge a student or an academic’s capacity to pass forward learnings beyond the movie house? Paano ba natin bibilangin ang mga matang namulat at mga diwang nagising?

Arrival of the Katips cast at the Narita Airport, October 13, 2022

When Angat Pinoy Japan, in collaboration with Ms. Menchie Mizuno of Engage, thought of bringing the movie Katips to Tokyo, we only have one goal in mind, to educate as many Filipinos as possible about Martial Law years, the dark side of our history. We thought it was very timely, considering that this year we are commemorating the 50th year since it was proclaimed in 1972. Ano na nga ba ang natutunan natin bilang isang bansa sa madilim na nakaraang pilit ding binubura ng iilan?

Our Kababayans queuing up for the Saitama screening on October 15, 2022.

Meet and greet, October 13, 2022, Thursday. The Katips cast was warmly welcomed by our kababayans with a full house meet and greet. Business owners, members of the academe, members of the Association of Filipino Students in Japan (AFSJ ), Migrante Japan, and Magdalo Japan were among the groups that participated in the lively discussion about the movie and life during the martial law era. Prof. Nathan Quimpo’s (brother of Martial Law victim and one of the main characters in the movie, Ishmael Quimpo) sharing about his own family’s experiences were very enlightening.

Professor Nathan Quimpo, sharing his own personal experience during the Martial Law era.

Screenings in Urawa, Saitama, and Tokyo University of Foreign Studies, October 15 and 16, 2022. The Katips cast graced the screenings scheduled in Urawa, Saitama, and Tokyo University of Foreign Studies ( TUFS) in Fuchu, Tokyo. The Director, Atty. Vince Tanada shared his inspiration and answered questions about the film. Mr. Takushi Ohno, a journalist, delivered his critique of the movie and shared his personal experiences as a foreign student in the Philippines during the Martial Law era. The TUFS open forum was very enriching and at the same time an eye-opener given the number of Japanese students and non-Filipinos who participated in the discussion about Philippine history.

Kung tatanungin muli, paano nga ba sinusukat ang tagumpay ng isang pakikibaka? Kung ang basehan ay ang mga manonood na umuwing puno ng kaalaman at inspirasyon bunga ng pelikula at mga diskusyon pagkatapos nito, oo naging matagumpay tayo sa adhikaing ito.

Katips Cast with Dennis Sun (standing, center) of Jeepney Press