Dawn of Freedom (1944)Carmen Rosales, Leopoldo Salcedo, Fernando Poe,Norma Blancaflor, Fred Montilla

Rosa Aguirre, Tessie Quintana. Directed by Yutaka Abe and Gerardo de Leon
Succeeds in becoming a Japanese propaganda film during the peak of the Second World War in the Philippines. This film depicts the Americans as the main enemy between the three involved states and romanticizes the relationship between the Filipinos and the Japanese despite the recorded war crimes the latter has committed to the former. Naturally, as propaganda, the Japanese declare themselves as the protagonist by withdrawing the Philippines from the Westerners. The film then dismisses the violent crimes the Japanese soldiers have done to Filipinos during their 5-year occupation.

Disregarding these important events in a war film results in the advocacy of imperialism for the Filipinos. Watching the Japanese soldier show empathy and kindness to Filipino children brings me great anger and disgust as the same soldiers represented in the film acted brutally towards Filipinos, the complete opposite of what was expressed in the film. Altering the narrative for the benefit of honoring a country's history is downright offensive to the individuals and nations that were oppressed in the process. 'Comfort women' and soldiers who experienced trauma or genocide during this era are in the course of being erased from history while Japan, to this day, refuses to acknowledge these atrocities.

Even with the endless glorification of the Japanese army, the film tackles the Americans' injustices and propaganda during their colonization, further pushing the narrative of Japan as the sole liberator of the colonized Philippines. Portraying the American soldiers as discriminatory and Japanese soldiers as sympathetic to the troubled Filipinos coaxes the audience to recognize the United States as the main enemy and Japan as an ally.

Portraying the empathy of Japanese soldiers to Filipinos is dangerous to our history and nationalism as it continues to erase the thousands of deaths and victims caused by these imperialist states. Growing up as a Japanese-Filipino, the crimes of my ancestors are responsibilities that I have to carry throughout my life. To overlook these war crimes for the sake of positivity results in the betrayal of Filipinos who risked their lives for the country's independence. One thing we can take from this piece of propaganda is that both Americans and the Japanese were colonizers and the effects of their rule and violence are relevant to the modern Philippines nonetheless.

I don't care if this film is anti-American or pro-Japanese as I never saw it as pro-Filipino. Filipino nationalism was not present in the entire film, or if it did, it was too subtle to notice as I was bombarded with false Japanese dignity. If this is the only film Filipinos had about the second World War, we will continue to succumb to ethnic inferiority and lose our Filipino identity. The production of the film is undeniably great considering the year it was produced. However, the intention and message remain to be imperialist propaganda.

side note: i also dont understand the title because we were only free from colonial powers until 1946 i think, making the film a fake (which it is) and the current government is authoritarian in nature sooo are we truly free 😭