Cinemalaya cancels screenings of ‘Lost Sabungeros’ due to ‘security concerns’ 

MANILA, Philippines – Cinemalaya Film Festival has canceled the premiere of the documentary Lost Sabungeros due to “security concerns,” organizers announced on Sunday, August 4. 

The documentary film by GMA Public Affairs and GMA Pictures was initially scheduled to screen on Thursday, August 8 at 5 pm at Ayala Malls Manila Bay Cinema 2 and August 9 at 5:30 pm at Cinema 8. 

Kip Oebanda’s Balota will be replacing the August 8 schedule of Lost Sabungeros. Balota, also under GMA Pictures, stars Marian Rivera. However, organizers didn’t mention any replacement for the August 9 schedule. 

Notably, Cinemalaya also didn’t expound on the “security concerns” that prompted the cancellation of the screenings. 

GMA Pictures, meanwhile, said that they received the message from Cinemalaya that the film’s premiere at the festival has been canceled.

Directed by Bryan Brazil, Lost Sabungeros is GMA Public Affairs’ first investigative documentary film. It revolves around the case of missing sabungeros (cockfighting aficionados), with the earliest incident saying to have occurred in 2021. (TIMELINE: What happened to the missing sabungeros?)

Its trailer featured compilation of news reports about the disappearances and interviews with the sabungeros’ family members. 

In an interview with GMA News published on July 31, Brazil shared that the process of creating the documentary wasn’t easy.

“Hindi lang ito kuwento ng mga sabungero, pinapakita rin nito ang matagal ng problema ng ating bansa, ang kawalang hustisya o culture of impunity na kalimitang binibiktima ang mahihirap at walang boses,” Brazil said. (This is not just the story of the missing cockfighters; it also reflects the long-standing issues in the country regarding lack of justice and culture of impunity that often targets the poor). 

In the same interview, the GMA report called the documentary as “one of the most dangerous and courageous investigative documentaries that GMA Public Affairs has produced to date,” noting reports of unidentified individuals observing the team during filming, with families of the missing sabungeros expressing concern for their safety, and “the potential risk of being targeted for abduction.”

This year’s Cinemalaya Film Festival will run until August 11. – Rappler.com