‘FATHERS OF CIRCUMSTANCES’: A Father's Day Weekend Film Program at Shangri-La Plaza

Image courtesy of Elevated Frames PH

This June, Fathers of Circumstances brings together five deeply moving films from Japan and the Philippines that challenge conventional ideas of fatherhood. The screenings will take place on June 14–15, 2025 at Red Carpet Cinemas, Shangri-La Plaza, curated by Eunice Helera, a film programmer and festival coordinator. The program is part of the Professional Development and Networking Initiative for ASEAN-Japan Film Programmers and Curators, organized by the Japan Foundation in partnership with the Tokyo International Film Festival (TIFF).

The lineup features Like Father, Like Son (2013) by Hirokazu Kore-eda, Dear Etranger (2017) by Yukiko Mishima, Close-Knit (2017) by Naoko Ogigami, Kinakausap ni Celso ang Diyos (2024) by Gilb Baldoza, and Ang Tatay Kong Nanay (1978) by Lino Brocka.

Like Father, Like Son (2013) by Hirokazu Kore-eda

Kinakausap ni Celso ang Diyos (2024) by Gilb Baldoza

Close-Knit (2017) by Naoko Ogigami

These films span across class, gender, and kinship—offering a spectrum of what it means to

care, provide, and stay. Kore-eda’s exploration of fatherhood from both affluent and working-class perspectives finds resonance in Baldoza’s Filipino fathers, who may lack money

but never intention. In Mishima’s Dear Etranger, the longing to be accepted as a stepfather is

quiet and piercing. In Close-Knit and Ang Tatay Kong Nanay, it is a transgender woman and a gay man who step into the role of parent—not through biology, but through pure will and love.

“This program is deeply personal,” Helera shares. “I never got to fully experience the

love of my biological father, who passed three years ago. What I’ve carried since is grief,

longing, and the imagination of what could have been. But I was raised by other father

figures—my stepdad, who silently cheered me on since grade school. My grandfather,

who filled in whenever no one else could. Two uncles, one of whom became a mentor

who shaped the path I’m now walking. And a queer aunt who showed up with fierce

loyalty and care.”

Screenings will be followed by talkbacks, including guest appearances and a Q&A with some of the film directors. Tickets are priced between ₱100–₱150, with festival passes available for ₱500, granting access to all four screenings.

Organized by Japan Foundation and Elevated Frames PH, In partnership with Red Carpet

Cinemas, Shangri-La Plaza, and the Film Development Council of the Philippines.

For full program and updates, follow @japanfoundationmanila, @elevatedframesph, and

@fdcpofficial on Facebook!