“Lost Sabungeros” appeared to have stirred up more interest if not intrigue following the sudden cancellation of its supposed world premiere at the ongoing Cinemalaya Independent Film Festival due to “security concerns.”
“Lost Sabungeros” is GMA Public Affairs’ first investigative documentary film.
Yesterday, Cinemalaya and the Cultural Center of the Philippines sent The Philppine STAR its full statement about the film being pulled out from the lineup.
“Due to security concerns, the screenings of ‘Lost Sabungeros’ have been canceled on Aug. 8 and Aug. 9,” the statement read.
Cinemalaya 2024 full-length entry “Balota,” a co-production of GMA Pictures and GMA Entertainment Group, was initially announced as the replacement. But as of yesterday afternoon, “The Wedding Dance,” also a Cinemalaya full-length entry, officially took over the Aug. 8 slot.
“Our paramount concern is the safety and well-being of our audience, staff, and all involved. We appreciate your understanding and cooperation during this time. Thank you for your continued support,” the statement further said.
In a Facebook post on Sunday, Nessa Valdellon, GMA Pictures executive vice president and GMA Public Affairs first vice president, described the cancellation as “heartbreaking.”
In separate answers to The STAR’s questions about the cancellation announcement, the TV executive said, “It is their (Cinemalaya) prerogative to make this decision as the festival organizers. We were just invited to be part of the festival and had no part in organizing it.
“I would want our production team and the audiences to be safe at the venue and if their assessment is it is unsafe to screen the docu there, we cannot argue. We take security concerns seriously.”
Cinemalaya 2024 full-length entry ‘The Wedding Dance,’ takes over the slot of ‘Lost Sabungeros’ on Aug. 8. It tells the love between a Kalinga couple torn apart by their warrior community ‘whose harsh judgment falls on a woman’s infertility.’
Valdellon said she can only answer how their team felt upon hearing the news.
“We were so excited about ‘Lost Sabungeros’ finally making its world premiere at Cinemalaya. Our director, producers, researchers spent two years working on this, documenting our subjects. And it was not easy,” she said.
“Several times during production, it was clear they were being followed around by strange men. They were able to find whistleblowers but none of the whistleblowers showed their faces in the interviews, so afraid of the potential danger to their lives.
“Our own team members even requested their names be excluded from the official poster because they were worried about being hunted down or harrassed.
“Big picture, three years ago over 30 men all in the same cockfighting industry went missing. None of them have shown up again. Their families continue to fight for justice. And three years after the disappearances, we can’t even premiere the film for a public audience due to security threats. That says so much about our country,” Valdellon lamented.
In a separate Facebook post that has since gone viral, GMA Public Affairs senior AVP LJ Castel agreed that all threats should be taken seriously, but believes that scrapping the screening would mean succumbing to the fear being sown. He also wrote that they spent almost two years creating the docu film, accepting that danger was part of it.
Directed by Bryan Brazil, “Lost Sabungeros” was produced to find answers regarding the disappearances of over 30 sabungeros who have been abducted in various incidents since 2021, according to a media release.
“When the COVID-19 pandemic shut down all cockfighting arenas in the Philippines, the century-old gambling bloodsport moved online and grew into a money-making machine overnight, creating instant millionaires,” its synopsis read.
“But things took a shocking turn when more than 30 men disappeared without a trace. In nine months, groups of cockfighters disappeared in three major arenas, while others were abducted in their homes or on the road. Months after the serial disappearances, not one has been found — dead or alive.”
GMA Public Affairs also noted that the film documented some of the lives of people affected by the bloodsport. These included a father who built an empire around cockfighting but “the world he has been living in would cost him the life of his son, who was a driver for cockfighters.”
The team also met with a woman who said she saw her partner, an “e-sabong agent earning millions,” snatched in front of her, while another woman whose brother, who worked as a gaffer in a cockfighting arena, “disappeared” with no trace, with his belongings discovered in an abandoned van.
The media release further said that a highlight in the film is the “three whistleblowers who came forward to share their knowledge about the crimes allegedly committed by those who abducted the missing sabungeros.”
GMA Public Affairs had described “Lost Sabungeros” as one of the most dangerous and courageous investigative documentaries that they have produced to date.
“The process of creating the documentary was not easy, the team spent several years following the characters in their search for their loved ones. In my view, it is crucial for our fellow citizens to watch the film, as it explores not just the story of cockfighters but also exposes the long-standing issues of our country — the lack of justice and the culture of impunity that often victimizes the poor and voiceless,” said Brazil, a GMA Public Affairs executive producer and director who won at the New York Festivals for his work in The Atom Araullo Specials, Stand For Truth, and Brigada.
Going by the comments and reactions of netizens to the cancellation news, there are now calls for a streaming run for the film, but that remains to be seen. Meanwhile, a replacement for Aug. 9 has yet to be announced.
Now celebrating its 20th year, Cinemalaya will run until Aug. 11 at the Ayala Malls Manila Bay, Greenbelt, Trinoma, U.P. Town Center, and Market! Market! cinemas.
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