PH film on providing refuge to Jews to premiere in Israel
To kick off the 60th anniversary of the diplomatic ties between Israel and the Philippines, “An Open Door: Holocaust Haven in the Philippines” by Noel Izon will be shown at the Cinematheque, Tel Aviv on January 25.
AN OPEN DOOR PH DOCU TO PREMIERE IN TEL AVIV. Image grabbed from dfa.gov.ph.
The one-hour documentary is about the Philippines, under President Manuel Quezon who welcomed and provided refuge to some 1,200 Jews fleeing from the holocaust.
According to the Philippine Ambassador to Israel Neal Imperial, President Quezon has worked with Jewish networks in Manila from the 1930-1941 to provide visas and shelter to European refugees.
This open-door policy of President Manuel Quezon provided a significant aspect of Philippine-Israel relations, and this story is noted in Holocaust History as the Filipino act of compassion.
“An Open Door” has been screened at Cinemalaya Philippines in August 2016, the Berlin International Filmmakers Festival in 2016, and the International Filmmaker Festival of World Cinema Milan in December 2016.
Sources: Inquirer.net, dfa.gov.ph