Unconventional fathers at the Fathers of Circumstances film screenings at UPFI Film Center

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.

Eunice Helera, 

“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.

Dear Etranger | 幼な子われらに生まれ (2017)

Director: Yukiko Mishima

Cast: Tadanobu Asano, Rena Tanaka, Kankuro Kudo, Shinobu Terajima

Makoto Tanaka is 40-years-old and has remarried. His wife is Nanae and they care for 2 daughters from Nanae’s prior marriage. Makoto tries to have an ordinary family. Nanae then becomes pregnant. Afterwards, things begin to change among the family members.

Close-Knit | 彼らが本気で編むときは、 (2017)

Director: Naoko Ogigami

Cast: Toma Ikuta, Rinka Kakihara, Kenta Kiritani, Mimura, Eiko Koike, Mugi Kadowaki

After being neglected by her mother, a little girl is taken in by her uncle and his transgender girlfriend, who create a loving home for her.

Kinakausap ni Celso ang Diyos (2024)

Director: Gilb Baldoza

Cast: Bullet Dumas, Hazel Orencio, Joshua Cabiladas, Luis Mateo Abo-abo

Celso, a factory worker, accidentally injures his hand on the job and receives compensation under his insurance. However, when he returns to work and gets hurt again, his employers become suspicious. As he faces pressure to secure his job, Celso uncovers a shocking clause in his insurance: a substantial payout to his family in case of his death.

Like Father, Like Son | そして父になる (2013)

Director: Hirokazu Kore-eda

Cast: Machiko Ono, Yôko Maki, Masaharu Fukuyama, Lily Franky, Kirin Kiki, Jun Fubuki, Jun Kunimura, Shôgen Hwang, Keita Ninomiya

Ryota Nonomiya is a successful businessman driven by money. He learns that his biological son was switched with another child after birth. He must make a life-changing decision and choose his true son or the boy he raised as his own.

Ang Tatay Kong Nanay (1978)

Director: Lino Brocka

Cast: Dolphy, Niño Muhlach, Phillip Salvador, Marissa Delgado, Lorli Villanueva, Soxy Topacio, Orlando Nadres, Larry Leviste, Joey Galvez, Renee Salud, Inday Badiday

Coring, a gay beautician, is left with a baby by his former ward, Dennis. The baby grows up thinking that Coring is his real father. Everything seems to be smooth until the kid’s mother suddenly shows up to claim her son.

Here is the screening schedule of Fathers of Circumstances.

June 20, 2025

12:20 PM Close-Knit (with Panel Discussion)

4:00 PM Ang Tatay Kong Nanay

June 21, 2025

12:00 PM Dear Etranger (with Director's Q&A via Zoom)

3:20 PM Kinakausap ni Celso ang Diyos (Double Bill Screening with Filmmakers Q&A)

3:40 PM Like Father, Like Son (Double Bill Screening with Filmmakers Q&A)

Fathers of Circumstances is organized by Elevated Frames in partnership with Japan Foundation and the UP Film Institute and is supported by Laya Coffee Diliman, UP Diliman Gender Office, Babaylanes, Inc, J Travel Finds, Tienda Wabas, Libro Barato, and Terminal Six Post. Media partners are AGIMAT.Net, SINEGANG.PH, TEAM PCHENG, MAGANDA BA MOVIE, CineGeeks Podcast, and Butingthings.

For full program and updates, follow @japanfoundationmanila, @elevatedframesph, and @upfifilmcenter on Facebook.