New docu film presents WWII accounts in Guam

A new film from Pacific Resources for Education and Learning recounts the 1941 Japanese invasion and occupation of Guam, and the islands subsequent liberation, through the eyes of local residents who lived through it.

The 50-minute documentary, titled An Island Invaded, presents the firsthand accounts of five individuals who were between 6 and 17 years old during World War II.

The film has been entered in the Hawaii International Film Festival. Its only previous screening was in Guam during recent celebrations of the 60th anniversary of the islands liberation.

Six hours after the attack on Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941, Guam was bombed. Two days later, the island was invaded by Japanese soldiers and was occupied until U.S. forces liberated it in July 1944. During this difficult period, residents of Guam experienced shortages of food and other necessities, as well as abuse at the hands of their occupiers. Those who are interviewed in this film remember these events vividly and speak about them movingly. In words that still resonate today, the powerful firsthand accounts in the film convey what it is like to be a child in a country occupied by foreign soldiers.

In the film, Carmen Artero Kasperbauer, who was 6 years old in 1941, speaks of the effects of these events on the mind of a child: “You feel like your soul is invaded and your life is invaded; our whole island was invaded.”

Antonio Palomo says, “It’s a really interesting part of our life, you know. You can’t beat it as far as having experience. That’s why nowadays if you look at my generation, you name it and we have been through it. We have been through war, typhoons, earthquakes.”

Film and photos of the period provided by the Guam Museum, Marianas Military Museum Foundation, and the National Archives enhance the compelling interviews.

PREL contracted Juniroa Productions to produce the program based on videotaped interviews conducted by PREL. Juniroa, a Hawaii-based company, is devoted to producing innovative local content media for Hawaii; promoting native cultures, in particular Native Hawaiian and Pacific island cultures; and serving communities underrepresented by mainstream media.

PREL is a Hawaii nonprofit corporation that works collaboratively with school systems to enhance education in Hawaii, the Pacific, the Asia Pacific region, and beyond.

More information about the Hawaii International Film Festival is available at www.hiff.org.

This production was funded by the U.S. Department of Education under the Star Schools Program, award number R203A970016. The content does not necessarily reflect the views of the U.S. Education Department or any other agency of the U.S. government.

For further information, contact Jim Bannan by phone at (808) 441-1391 or by email at bannanj@prel.org.