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A QUICK BACKGROUND

Army stragglers—also known as holdouts—were soldiers of the Imperial Japanese Army who continued fighting after Japan's formal surrender in August 1945. Some holdouts doubted the surrender was real; others simply never received word that the war had ended.

While many were scattered across the Pacific, this story focuses on one: Hiroo Onoda, an intelligence officer stationed on Lubang Island in the Philippines. This small, remote island became the center of international attention as the search for Onoda stretched from the late 1950s until his surrender on March 12, 1974—nearly thirty years after the war’s official end.

Onoda returned to a modernized Tokyo and was hailed as a hero. Still wearing his army uniform and carrying a functional rifle, he claimed he didn’t know the war had ended. Whether knowingly or not, he became a symbol of prewar Japan—a media sensation labeled everything from a “true samurai” to a coward.

To my family and their neighbours living on Lubang Island, Onoda was nicknamed "The Devil of the Mountains"

MY PERSONAL CONNECTION

I first learned about Hiroo Onoda through my mother, who grew up on Lubang Island. She was 11 years old when he finally surrendered. She still remembers running through the streets with her classmates, chasing army helicopters and shouting, “Banzai, Nippon!”

To her, Onoda was almost a myth—a ghost soldier hiding in the jungle just beyond the village. She’d never seen him herself until that day, but she’d grown up hearing stories from her brothers and cousins: “Don’t wander too far from the farm, or you’ll be shot.”

But it wasn’t just a warning. When my mom told me her uncle Emilio was killed by Onoda while working his land, I started to question Onoda’s long-held claim: that he didn’t know the war was over.

I read his autobiography, No Surrender: My Thirty-Year War, hoping to find some answers. Instead, I noticed something missing—my mother’s story. My family’s voices. The experiences of those who actually lived on Lubang Island.

That realization became the spark. I set out on my own journey to find the truth—and to ask the question that’s haunted my family for decades:
Did Onoda really not know the war was over?

WHY NOW?

Hiroo Onoda is arguably the most famous of Japan’s WWII holdouts—and he’s still widely revered in Japan today. Since starting my research, I’ve come across countless articles, forums, and references that praise Onoda for his “sacrifice,” “honor,” and unwavering dedication. He even appears in pop culture: in the Fargo episode “Who Rules The Land of Denial,” and in Mark Manson’s The Subtle Art of Not Giving A Fuck. Both recognize his stubbornness and self-delusion—but neither mention the cost of his thirty-year war, or who paid for it with their lives.

Onoda’s story continues to fascinate audiences around the world. Just recently, a multi-national film titled 10,000 Nights In The Jungle opened the Un Certain Regard section at Cannes. As interest in Onoda grows, I feel even more driven to make Searching for Onoda—a film that challenges the glorification of war and gives voice to those who were never asked to tell their side.

Although Onoda’s story has been told many times, it has never been told in a feature-length documentary by someone from Lubang Island. I represent the community directly impacted by his presence. My grandfather’s brother was working on his farm in 1951 when he was shot and killed by Onoda—one of an estimated thirty civilian deaths.

A 2017 NHK production briefly acknowledged the islanders’ perspective, but it was still made for a Japanese audience. My documentary is intended for a wider international public, and it offers a more complex, multifaceted view—through Philippine, Japanese, and Western lenses.

The fact that Onoda agreed to meet with me before he passed suggests the beginnings of a long-overdue reconciliation. I believe Searching for Onoda can reopen the conversation around a formal apology and recognition of the war crimes committed on Lubang Island.

By including a Japanese perspective, I also invite reflection on what Onoda represents in modern Japanese society. While the film is rooted in the specific experiences of Lubang residents and those connected to Onoda’s Nature School, the deeper questions it explores—about morality, forgiveness, and historical memory—are universal.

One of the most revealing interviews in the film is with the sons of Tsuda Shin, Onoda’s ghostwriter. Shin helped shape Onoda’s public image through his memoir No Surrender, omitting any mention of the civilian killings. Speaking with his sons brings new insight into how Onoda’s legacy was constructed—and what was left out.

I believe this film will spark meaningful conversation about how we, as a global society, engage with history—particularly the ways in which imperialism and colonization are sanitized for political convenience. This isn’t just about Onoda; it echoes how other controversial figures and events are remembered—or erased—all over the world.

In a recent article about the Cannes premiere of Onoda (Dir. Arthur Harari), the writer notes that at the 2021 "pandemiCannes, where "Onoda" opened the Un Certain Regard section, and where elite audiences reportedly continue to carry on as if things were normal by flouting mask rules, this portrait of a man who chose to shut out the outside world had an eerie resonance."

PROJECT STATUS

There are two parts to Searching For Onoda:

1) the documentary film to be completed

2) the Japanese-English book translation of Gensou No Eiyuu (An Imaginary Hero) to be published concurrently with the film.

The Documentary: Searching For Onoda

Production filming is 75% complete, and was funded through personal finances, crowdfunding with Pozible, Indiegogo and Creative Partnerships Australia.

From 2008 to 2018 there were interviews conducted on location in Australia, the Philippines and Japan.

Given the extended nature of filming and the urgency to film while the aging subjects were still available, post production (editing) has commenced alongside the production filming, and the edit progressed as more interviews were secured.

A portion of the footage used in the cut was actually footage intended for research only, however, as time progressed on the project and access to the subjects became limited, that research footage is the only footage available. For example, two key interviews have passed away, and my research footage is the only interview in existence.

After (what I thought would be) the final production shoot in March 2018, I worked on a new edit. After relocating from Sydney to Los Angeles in late 2018, post production has continued and editing is pending final interviews (delayed due to Covid 2020-2021)

In August 2021, another interview was filmed in Nashville, Tennessee with Professor Igarashi Yoshikuni.

As of March 2025, there are animation sequences to be created and inserted into the edit. It is my intention to hire a Filipino animator/illustrator. Some temporary animation sequences can be found in the edit samples and trailer, as a general guide for the aesthetic and tone.

The Book: Gensou No Eiyuu - An Imaginary Hero

Onoda's biography My Thirty Year War was published in 1975, and translated from Japanese to English. It is really the only printed account of his thirty year war, told from his perspective and in chronological order from his fateful orders that posted him to Lubang Island in 1944, to the day of his surrender in 1974.This book however was written by a ghostwriter, Tsuda Shin, who published his own memoirs of Onoda's biography. This book, Gensou No Eiyuu has been translated* from Japanese to English, and now needs to be edited and printed, ready for release alongside the documentary.

Your donations will help to:

- co-translate and proof read the manuscript

- edit the translated manuscript

- format the book for print and ebook

- cover costs of printing and postage

- cover costs of original cover art

- cover any marketing or publicity costs

*The Japanese to English translation has already been personally funded. 

Searching For Onoda is a Roy Dean Grant Spring 2021 Finalist. 

HOW CAN YOU HELP TELL THIS STORY?

Given the current interest in Onoda's story, and the recent dramatised film about Onoda, we feel like now is the time more than ever to tell this story, and we want to complete this film by Fall 2026.

Principle filming has been completed, and we need your help to get this documentary film over the line and onto screens.

We need approximately $138, 250 to complete the film, and an estimated $8,500 to print the book.

Your generous donation will cover costs for:

• recording narration
• 6-8 weeks of picture edit
• colour grade
• sound edit and mix
• licensing fees for archival footage
• recording musicians for the score
• animation
• graphics and marketing
• book publishing

All donations are 100% tax-deductible through our 501(c)3 fiscal sponsor From the Heart Productions. You will be sent a receipt per email as soon as your donation has been processed.

Thank you for your support!

For a full budget breakdown, please email us.

If you are unable to support financially, we would appreciate your support in sharing this fundraising page.

PRODUCTION AND POST PRODUCTION CREW

DIRECTOR/PRODUCER/WRITER/CAMERA/SOUND/NARRATOR
Mia Stewart (she/her) was born in the Philippines, and grew up in various coastal towns from the west to the east of Australia. Always drawn to story-telling through sound and screen, she completed her Bachelor in Media and Communications at La Trobe University in Melbourne, with majors in Radio and Film production. Following her love for story and sound, Mia completed postgraduate studies with Australia's premier training institution The Australian Film Television and Radio School, majoring in Sound Production for Screen and Interactive. Searching For Onoda has been a personal project for Mia and is her first documentary feature. She hopes to continue sharing stories about Filipino culture through future documentaries. Mia has been the main camera operator, sound recordist, producer and interviewer for the 2008, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2017 and 2018 shoots. Currently Mia is also the editor for trailers, pitch promos and the beginnings of the rough cut, in consultancy with Eurie Chung at Flash Cuts, and other mentors in the US and Australia.

CO-PRODUCERS

Maiko Endo, Japanese, was born in Finland. She grew up in Tokyo and New-York. Violinist by training, Endo composed music for films and artistic installations. Shot in both black-and-white and color, KUICHISAN - Endoʼs debut picture is an imagistic portrait of its location, Okinawa, the Japanese islands controlled by the United States until the early 1970s. She lives and works in Tokyo today. Her second feature TECHNOLOGY is on its way. Maiko has been working with Searching For Onoda since 2015, coordinating the shoots in Japan, acting as translator and researcher.

Christopher Frey is an Executive Producer at Cross Media International where he has led dozens of commercial, television, and film projects shot around the world. He has collaborated with directors such as Wes Anderson, David Fincher, and Spike Jonze, as well as working with several A-list talent on a variety of projects including the likes of George Clooney, Cameron Diaz, Hugh Jackman, and Brad Pitt. Chris served as an executive producer on the international co-production of THE HUMAN TRUST, a feature film which was shot on location in Japan, Russia, Thailand, and the US, producing the film’s climactic scenes around Manhattan and within the General Assembly at the United Nations. Making his first foray into television by producing LIGHTSCAPES for Discovery followed by PEOPLE MAGNET TV for NTV in Japan, he is now leading the development of a live-action TV series adapted from an internationally acclaimed, best-selling manga. Chris co-founded CMI in 2003 after several years of working at creative agencies and startups in the US, Europe, and Japan, prior to which he received two research fellowships and earned dual Bachelor of Arts degrees from Occidental College in Los Angeles and the International Division Program at Waseda University in Tokyo.

EDITORS

Eurie Chung, Producer for Flash Cuts, is an independent producer and editor focused on community-based documentaries. While pursuing a graduate degree at UCLA in Asian American Studies, Chung fell into community filmmaking, directing & editing METRO ES PARA TODOS: HEE POK ‘GRANDMA’ KIM AND THE BUS RIDERS UNION, a documentary short profiling an elderly Korean immigrant activist, for her master’s thesis. She has continued working on a wide range of independent documentaries, producing the interactive documentary project K-TOWN ’92, as well as documentaries OFF THE MENU: ASIAN AMERICA and LIFE ON FOUR STRINGS: THE JAKE SHIMABUKURO STORY. Chung also manages Flash Cuts, a post-production facility which has finished TYRUS, MELE MURALS, and AMERICAN REVOLUTIONARY: THE EVOLUTION OF GRACE LEE BOGGS.

Born in Manila, Philippines an raised in Los Angeles, Jo Saen Hernandez Ronquillo (they/them) is a film editor, photographer, and artist. Through the inspiration of their grassroots community organising work, Jo Saen seeks to uplift the vivid and impactful stories of immigrant communities and works to educate people through story telling and the arts.

Jo Saen is a member and co-leader of the undocumented filmmakers collective, a collective that tackles the systemic inequities that undocumented immigrants face in the field of filmmaking, by cantering the expertise of undocumented people not only as sources of stories but more importantly as creators, artists and primary audiences. Jo Saen also helps organise for the Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival - the nations largest API Film festival. Jo Saen has also worked on award winning films such as Call Her Ganda dir. PJ Raval, PBS POV documentary series We Gon Be ALright dir. Bao Nguyen and written by Jeff Chiang. JoSaen was also a judge for the 2020 IDA Awards best editing committee.

Gwen Sputore began in her work in film industry, as a runner, best boy and assistant editor. Gwendalina moved to Broome, in Western Australia, and began working as an editor on community documentaries and dramas, as well as broadcast documentaries, and teaching video
production skills at schools and private Indigenous organizations in and around the Kimberley and Pilbara Region.
In 2009, Gwendalina moved to Sydney, where she working as a fulltime Editing lecturer at the prestigious, Australian, Film Television and Radio School, for 12 months, then in as part-time Editing lecturer for Graduate Certificate Drama Course for a further three years.
Then Gwendalina began working as freelance editor in Sydney, and in the nine years there has amassed experience in a wide variety of genre’s in Reality, Factual, Lifestyle, Documentaries and Drama.
In 2018, Gwendalina moved to Melbourne with her son, and continued working as a freelance editor.
Gwendalina has worked on numerous short films, highlights include 2014 ACE Winner of Editing in Short Drama ‘Godel Incomplete’, ‘Little Hands’, winner at 2012 WOW Editing Award, ‘Dance Me to The End of
Love’, 2012 SFF Dendy Awards, nominated for best film in, and winner Best Short Film, LA Film Festival 2012. ‘Mabuji’, 2010 St Kilda Film Festival, nominated best short film, ‘The Bridge’, winner 2010 WOW
Festival SBS award, ‘Inside Story’, 2010 nominated best short animation, Giffoni Film Festival, Italy, ‘Identity in Motion’, 2009, WOW Festival, nominated best documentary.

COMPOSER David Barber (he/him) is a versatile composer and musician with many years of experience in the film and television industry. In recent years he has scored several feature films including award winning sci-fi thriller Restoration and critically acclaimed drama Teenage Kicks, the latter of which earning him a nomination for ‘Best Original Score’ at the 2016 AACTA Awards. He was also a nominee for an APRA Screen Music Award as well as a finalist for the APRA Personal Development Awards. David is also a frequent collaborator with some of Australia’s most notable film composers and studios including Christopher Gordon (Master & Commander, Mao’s Last Dancer), Martin Armiger (ABC News, Young Einstein). He has also been part of the music department for several feature films
including Happy Feet 2, Drift, and Red Dog. Recently, David scored a documentary Endless Road covering the life of famous Australian guitar player Tommy Emmanuel.

ANIMATION DIRECTOR Australia Award winning director Jacquie Trowell is a front-runner in her field, having directed hundreds of productions in all animation media. Nominated for a Golden Bear at the Berlin Biennale for the highly acclaimed ‘Beyond Freedom’, Jacquie’s clients include Ogilvy & Mather, Young & Rubicam, Leo Burnett, Network BBDO, Saatchi & Saatchi, Jupiter Drawing Room, Metropolitan Republic, JWT, Hunt Lascaris TBWA, Sesame Workshop and Unicef. Jacquie’s variety of visual style comes from her collaborative approach to filmmaking - by opting to collude with artists, hand picked for suitability to a specific job, her productions have a perpetually fresh, unique and exciting quality. Jacquie presently works both as an independent director and the creative director of Sydney based animation company Sugar Bird.

JAPAN CREW/TECHNICAL
Camera - Scott Larson

Sound - Rob Mayes

MENTORS

● Denise Haslem (Awards winning Australian producer/editor)
● Mook Denton (Australian producer)
● Hiromi Matsuoka (Japanese Australian researcher/producer)
● Tom Zubrycki (award winning Australian director/producer)