Quezon’s Game premiered in Australia last week at a VIP screening featuring the Philippine Consulate General in Sydney, the New South Wales Jewish Board of Deputies, Sydney Jewish Museum and SBS Filipino as well as foreign dignitaries and historians, hosted by Norman Seligman, Chief Executive Officer of the Sydney Jewish Museum, who commended Quezon as a “non-Jewish who risked a lot to save a number of lives”. Also attending were Deputy Consul General of Switzerland to Australia Didier Boschung and Professor Konrad Kwiet, Resident Historian at the Sydney Jewish Museum, who commented that “Quezon’s Game sheds light on events that took place in Southeast Asia so many years ago by the efforts are still appreciated today.”
L-R: Consul Melanie Rita Diano, Consul Emmanuel Donato Guzman; Philippine Consul General Ezzedin Tago; Vic Alhadeff, CEO, NSW Jewish Board of Deputies; Aviva Wolff, Operations Manager of the Sydney Jewish Museum; Jay Francis Santos, ABS-CBN Australia Country Manager, and May Ilagan, ABS-CBN Australia Regional Marketing Manager
I think our humanity is judged by how much we look after the dispossessed. And we have done that. I didn’t realize how hard President Quezon fought to give refuge to Jewish refugees.” The Philippines was “one place in the world that did the right thing when millions were being slaughtered.” Lolita Lewis of the University of the Philippines Alumni Association of Australia – NSW Chapter commented.
Discourse created by the film is the reason why stories of leadership, unity and of humanity must be told. CEO of the NSW Board of Jewish deputies Vic Aldaheff believes that the film “makes the critical point that even during history’s darkest and most challenging times, there were those who were motivated by courage and principle and humanity.” And it is because of these enduring values that 8,000 descendants now thrive from the lives saved by Philippine President Manuel L. Quezon.
L-R: Eva and Lewis Levi, and Ed Alcordo, President of Australia Philippines Business Council, members of the Jewish-Australian and Filipino-Australian communities
L-R: ABS-CBN Australia Team: Rommel Ainza, Linlin Linsao, Jay Francis Santos, Myla Aye, Jerwin Jarical, May Ilagan
Editor’s Note: I missed watching this at my friendly neighborhood cinema and have not reviewed Quezon’s Game and I am currently planning to review it when it has its Digital/DVD release.