A NEW 40-minute documentary, “Islands Reopened,” will premiere on Tuesday, July 29, 2025, at 6 p.m. in the American Memorial Park Theater room on Saipan. The premiere is free and open to the public.
“Islands Reopened” explores Saipan’s remarkable journey from a post- World War II “off limits” CIA training site to the capital of the Trust Territory and the dawn of its tourism industry in the 1950s, 60s, and 70s.
Through the firsthand accounts of local elders: Pedro (Pete) A. Tenorio, Agnes M. McPhetres, Juan N. Babauta, Catalino (Lino) M. Olopai, Rosa T. Palacios (Chailang), Soledad (Marie) C. Castro, Herman T. Guerrero Jr., and Elizabeth D. Rechebei, the film illuminates Saipan’s rapid growth and the pivotal decision to become a Commonwealth in 1975.
This project was made possible with funding from the Northern Mariana Islands Humanities Council.
“Islands Reopened” was created by:
• Project Director Fr. Francis X. Hezel, S.J.
• Project Manager: Dr. Elizabeth D. Rechebei
• Videographer / Editor: Alejandro B. Agulto (Marianas Visuals)
