[Crowdfunding until April 17 (Fri)] Challenging the Theme of "Crime and Punishment" Through the Eyes of a 94-Year-Old Spanish Chaplain Facing Death Row Inmates! Trailer Released for Documentary Film "The Chaplain and the Condemned"!!
The trailer for the documentary 'The Chaplain and the Condemned', directed by Katsumi Sakaguchi, has been released. The film follows a 94-year-old Spanish chaplain counseling death row inmates in Japan. A crowdfunding campaign is active on Motion Gallery until April 17.
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- 📰 Published: April 14, 2026 at 05:00
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The trailer for the documentary film 'The Chaplain and the Condemned', directed by Katsumi Sakaguchi and supported by CREEK & RIVER Co., Ltd. (C&R Co.), has been released. This work is a documentary film that challenges the theme of crime and punishment, thinking about and questioning the death penalty system through the perspective of a 94-year-old Spanish Catholic priest who faces death row inmates as a chaplain in Japan, where the death penalty system is retained. In addition, as a production support project for this work, crowdfunding is currently underway on 'Motion Gallery' until April 17 (Friday).
[Trailer Video URL (YouTube)]
[Crowdfunding URL (MOTION GALLERY)]
https://motion-gallery.net/projects/kyokaishi
[About the movie 'The Chaplain and the Condemned']
Amidst an international trend towards abolition, Japan is a country where 80% of the public tolerates the death penalty system in opinion polls. As a retentionist country, this film looks at the state of the death penalty through a single chaplain. Father Javier Garralda, an assisting priest at St. Ignatius Church (Catholic Kojimachi Church) of the Catholic Archdiocese of Tokyo located in Kojimachi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo, has been regularly visiting Japanese death row inmates as a chaplain at the Tokyo Detention House in Kosuge since 2000.
By filming Javier Garralda's chaplaincy activities over a long period, what the film conveys is the present state of death row inmates who have committed irreversible crimes, and how contemporary Japan, which has the death penalty system, faces crime and punishment. From the words and expressions uttered by Javier Garralda, who agrees to be filmed immediately after visiting, the evidence of the intense spiritual exchange shared with the death row inmates he calls 'friends' during their limited time can be felt like body heat. Through the film, the audience learns that for death row inmates, the presence of the chaplain is unique, their last emotional support, and continues to be a special existence. What is a human being? What is a crime? And what does it mean to atone for a crime? After watching the movie, it will surely be a film that you will desperately want to talk about and share with someone.
[Profile of Father Javier Garralda]
Assisting Priest at St. Ignatius Church (Tokyo). Catholic priest. Born in Madrid, Spain in 1931. Entered the Society of Jesus in 1948. Completed the Graduate School of Philosophy at the Complutense University in 1956. Came to Japan as a missionary, ordained at St. Ignatius Church in 1964, associate professor at Sophia University, professor in the Faculty of Theology, principal of Sophia University School of Social Welfare in 1977, retired from Sophia University in 2002. Since 1994, he has served as a chaplain for foreign prisoners speaking mainly Spanish and English at Fuchu Prison in Tokyo, and since 2000, he has been meeting with Japanese death row inmates as a chaplain at the Tokyo Detention House. Author of books including 'Self-Love and Egoism' (Kodansha), 'Self-Love and Devotion: The Meaning of Loving' (Kodansha), and 'Looking at Love: Enhancing and Overcoming' (Shueisha). Received the Order of the Sacred Treasure, Gold Rays with Rosette in 2018.
Website: https://jesuits.or.jp/j_garralda/biography/
[Comment from Director Katsumi Sakaguchi]
Japan has a death penalty system. This work 'The Chaplain and the Condemned' is a documentary film that questions crime and punishment, and the dignity of life through the figure of a single chaplain who continues to visit death row inmates. The death penalty system is deeply rooted in Japanese society. Why do we continue to tolerate its retention? It will be a movie where each person ponders that question and looks at the true nature of human beings.
Outline of the production support project for the documentary film 'The Chaplain and the Condemned'
■ Project Details
This work is a documentary film that challenges the theme of crime and punishment, thinking about and questioning the death penalty system through the perspective of a 94-year-old Spanish priest who faces death row inmates as a chaplain in Japan, where the death penalty system is retained. Based on the belief that 'expression should be completely free from everything', there is no financial assistance from any organizations or groups. The production costs for this work are covered by modest funds obtained by Super Saurus Co., Ltd. (Director Katsumi Sakaguchi and Producer Atsuko Ochiai) from the screening revenue of previous works and their daily jobs. The filming is finally in its final stage, and the completion of the movie is in sight. As we enter the full-scale editing process, we need funds to complete a work of higher quality.
■ Director
Director Katsumi Sakaguchi
Katsumi Sakaguchi
Of family and adolescence
[Trailer Video URL (YouTube)]
[Crowdfunding URL (MOTION GALLERY)]
https://motion-gallery.net/projects/kyokaishi
[About the movie 'The Chaplain and the Condemned']
Amidst an international trend towards abolition, Japan is a country where 80% of the public tolerates the death penalty system in opinion polls. As a retentionist country, this film looks at the state of the death penalty through a single chaplain. Father Javier Garralda, an assisting priest at St. Ignatius Church (Catholic Kojimachi Church) of the Catholic Archdiocese of Tokyo located in Kojimachi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo, has been regularly visiting Japanese death row inmates as a chaplain at the Tokyo Detention House in Kosuge since 2000.
By filming Javier Garralda's chaplaincy activities over a long period, what the film conveys is the present state of death row inmates who have committed irreversible crimes, and how contemporary Japan, which has the death penalty system, faces crime and punishment. From the words and expressions uttered by Javier Garralda, who agrees to be filmed immediately after visiting, the evidence of the intense spiritual exchange shared with the death row inmates he calls 'friends' during their limited time can be felt like body heat. Through the film, the audience learns that for death row inmates, the presence of the chaplain is unique, their last emotional support, and continues to be a special existence. What is a human being? What is a crime? And what does it mean to atone for a crime? After watching the movie, it will surely be a film that you will desperately want to talk about and share with someone.
[Profile of Father Javier Garralda]
Assisting Priest at St. Ignatius Church (Tokyo). Catholic priest. Born in Madrid, Spain in 1931. Entered the Society of Jesus in 1948. Completed the Graduate School of Philosophy at the Complutense University in 1956. Came to Japan as a missionary, ordained at St. Ignatius Church in 1964, associate professor at Sophia University, professor in the Faculty of Theology, principal of Sophia University School of Social Welfare in 1977, retired from Sophia University in 2002. Since 1994, he has served as a chaplain for foreign prisoners speaking mainly Spanish and English at Fuchu Prison in Tokyo, and since 2000, he has been meeting with Japanese death row inmates as a chaplain at the Tokyo Detention House. Author of books including 'Self-Love and Egoism' (Kodansha), 'Self-Love and Devotion: The Meaning of Loving' (Kodansha), and 'Looking at Love: Enhancing and Overcoming' (Shueisha). Received the Order of the Sacred Treasure, Gold Rays with Rosette in 2018.
Website: https://jesuits.or.jp/j_garralda/biography/
[Comment from Director Katsumi Sakaguchi]
Japan has a death penalty system. This work 'The Chaplain and the Condemned' is a documentary film that questions crime and punishment, and the dignity of life through the figure of a single chaplain who continues to visit death row inmates. The death penalty system is deeply rooted in Japanese society. Why do we continue to tolerate its retention? It will be a movie where each person ponders that question and looks at the true nature of human beings.
Outline of the production support project for the documentary film 'The Chaplain and the Condemned'
■ Project Details
This work is a documentary film that challenges the theme of crime and punishment, thinking about and questioning the death penalty system through the perspective of a 94-year-old Spanish priest who faces death row inmates as a chaplain in Japan, where the death penalty system is retained. Based on the belief that 'expression should be completely free from everything', there is no financial assistance from any organizations or groups. The production costs for this work are covered by modest funds obtained by Super Saurus Co., Ltd. (Director Katsumi Sakaguchi and Producer Atsuko Ochiai) from the screening revenue of previous works and their daily jobs. The filming is finally in its final stage, and the completion of the movie is in sight. As we enter the full-scale editing process, we need funds to complete a work of higher quality.
■ Director
Director Katsumi Sakaguchi
Katsumi Sakaguchi
Of family and adolescence