An Untold Triumph

An Untold Triumph Photo
Photo courtesy of Noel "Sonny" Izon

Genre: Documentary
Ethnicity: Filipino American
Themes: History, Political/Legal Issues, War & Military Service
Date: 2002
Running Time: 84 min.
Director/Producer: Noel "Sonny" Izon
Availability: Center for Asian American Media (formerly NAATA)
College/Institution: $265 Purchase/$75 Rental
K-12/Public Library/Community Group: $99 Purchase/$40 Rental
Synopsis
During World War II, 7,000 Filipino Americans volunteered their services to the U.S. Army and helped liberate their homeland from Japanese occupation.  Director Noel M. Izon captures their stories through the voices of the veterans themselves — only half of whom are still alive today — and delivers touching personal accounts of the men's contributions and sacrifices during the war.  Despite the fact that they endured a bleak, racist prewar climate and were not even considered U.S. citizens, these individuals rallied to join the war effort and cement their rightful place in American history. (Courtesy of the Center for Asian American Media)  


Reviews
Harvey, Dennis.  "An Untold Triumph: The Story of the 1st and 2nd Filipino Infantry Regiments, U.S. Army."  Variety. March 26, 2003.

Suzuki, Genevieve A.  "‘Untold Triumph’ tells the tale of Filipino soldiers."  Honolulu Star-Bulletin.  November 8, 2002.
http://starbulletin.com/2002/11/08/features/index8.html

Viotti, Vicki.  "Filipino vets’ heroism now told."  Honolulu Advertiser.  November 5, 2002.
http://the.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/2002/Nov/05/n/ln08a.html


Supplementary Materials
An Untold Triumph, official website
http://members.aol.com/_ht_a/untoldtriumph/untoldtriumph/

An Untold Triumph Teaching Resources and Tools, California State University Sacramento
http://www.csus.edu/aas/filipinos/
Includes a viewer’s guide to film, timeline of the Filipino American experience, and lesson plans (designed for 5th-12th grade).
Asian American Filmography ExEAS