Father’s Day should extend beyond its designated date so bring your dad (or the father figure in your life) to the Fathers of Circumstances event that’s happening on June 20-21 at the Cine Adarna, UPFI Film Center. The best part? It’s free of charge!
As of this writing, reservations are full BUT there will be chance walk-in lines an hour before each screening. As stated by orgnizer Elevated Frames in their recent post: “All unclaimed seats will be released 10 minutes before showtime.”
So why not try your luck?
And here are more details about the film program from the official press release, plus, the schedule.
FOC NA SI FOC! Father’s Of Circumstances Is Now Free of Charge!
What makes a father? Is it blood, presence, choice—or circumstance?
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 20-21, 2025 at Cine Adarna, UPFI Film Center. 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.
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. Free admission but pre-registration is required. Walk-ins are subject to availability.
