Internees of Kampili (1960): cast, story & where to watch

Released in 1960, Internees of Kampili is a drama film directed by Manao Horiuchi, running about 89 minutes.

What it’s about. In the autumn of 1945, Petty Officer Tadashi Yamaji is among the numerous war crimes suspects facing death on the gallows for maltreatment of Allied women and children interned in camp Kampili. Kampili is located some ten kilometers outside Macassar on the island of Celebes. Eighteen-hundred Allied women and children were interned for the duration of the war. Yamaji's iron rule for camp administration is : No violence; hands off internees; He also endeavors to establish self-administration by internees while aiming at a self-supporting camp economy within six months. His ingenuity gains the camp numerous pigs to enrich their diet, and sewing machines with to make fatigue uniforms for the military. The internees are grateful for what little aid he can give them. As the tides of war changes, Allied planes bomb the camp in error. But the surrender of Japan changes everything, and the internees join forces to save their former camp commander from the gallows.

Who’s in it. Internees of Kampili stars Minoru Ōki as Tadashi Yamaji, Naoki Sugiura as Commander Akihara, Shinji Takano as Lieutenant Ohta and Keiko Kuni as Chiyoko, among others.

Where to watch. Streaming options change often. See the full, country-by-country breakdown on our where to watch Internees of Kampili page.

If you liked it. Fans of Internees of Kampili tend to enjoy The Shawshank Redemption, The Godfather, Schindler's List and The Godfather Part II.