'Lost Sabungeros' to debut at QCinema International Film Festival after Cinemalaya cancellation

GMA’s Investigative Documentary Lost Sabungeros is set to premiere in the upcoming QCinema International Film Festival, following its previous cancellation.

In a Facebook post on Tuesday, Oct. 22, GMA Public Affairs announced the documentary’s greenlit premiere this November.

“WALANG MAKAKAPIGIL SA KATOTOHANAN,” the post read. 

The documentary was originally set to debut internationally during the Cinemalaya Independent Film Festival on Aug. 8 and 9. However, the premiere was suddenly cancelled due to “security concerns.”

PhilSTAR L!fe reached out to Cinemalaya PR director Glaiza Lee and was given the same statement posted online. The festival did not disclose what "safety concerns" prompted the cancelation. Instead, they noted, "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."

Meanwhile, Senior AVP for Public Affairs LJ Castel on his Facebook said all threats must be taken seriously, but also noted that canceling the film is a victory for those who sought to silence them.

"Lahat ng banta, dapat sineseryoso. Pero ang hindi pagtuloy sa screening ng Lost Sabungeros sa Cinemalaya ay pagkapanalo ng inihahasik na takot," he wrote. "Halos dalawang taon naming binuo ang docu-film na ito at tinanggap na bahagi nito ang panganib. Ngunit sinuong ng produksyon ang peligro, para siyasatin ang pagkawala ng mahigit tatlumpung mga sabungero."

Lost Sabungeros follows the disappearances of 30 cockfighting enthusiasts during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

The film also documented some of the lives of those “affected by the bloodsport,” calling it one of the most dangerous and courageous documentaries that they have produced. 

It highlights the three whistleblowers who "came forward to share their knowledge about the crimes allegedly committed by those who abducted the missing sabungeros."

Lost Sabungeros will premiere at the QCinema International Film Festival, which will take place from Nov. 8 to 17.

Other films at QCinema Film Fest

This year’s QCinema International Film Festival will showcase films categorized into 13 programs.

Check out the programs and screening schedules at the QCinema International Film Festival site here. 

Asian Next Wave

• Don’t Cry Butterfly
• Happyend
• Mistress Dispeller
• Moneyslapper
• Pierce
• Stranger Eyes
• Tale of the Land
• Viet and Nam

QCShorts International

• Alaga
• Are We Still Friends?
• Here We Are
• In the Name of Love I Will Punish You
• Kinakausap ni Celso ang Diyos
• Peaceland
• Rampage! (O ang Parada)
• Refrain
• Saigon Kiss
• Supermassive Heavenly Body
• Washhh
• Water Sports

RainbowQC

• Baby
• My Sunshine
• Pooja, Sir
• Sebastian
• The Balconettes

New Horizons

• Blue Sun Palace
• Cu Li Never Cries
• Santosh
• The Major Tones
• Toxic

Screen International

• Afternoons of Solitude
• All We Imagine As Light
• Anora
• Grand Tour
• Phantosmia
• Simon of the Mountain
• The COunt of Monte Cristo
• The End
• The Room Next Door
• When Fall is Coming

Before Midnight

• A Samurai in Time
• Gazer
• Infinite Summer
• Motel Destino
• The Wailing
  

QCLokal

• Brownout Capital
• Forgetting Clara
• Invisible Labor
• Makamisa: Phantasm of Revenge
• May Puso Ba Ang Isang Manika?
• Objects Do Not Fall Randomly From the Sky
• Room in the Crowd
• Yung Huling Swimming Reunion Before Life Happens

QCinema Selects

• Ghost Cat Anzu
• No Other Land
• Shahid
• Sujo
• The Sparrow in the Chimney
• Twilight of the Warriors: Walled In

Rediscovery

• Delicatessen
• Dogtooth
• Ran

Contemporary Italian Cinema

• Diabolik
• Io Capitano
• Kidnapped: The Abduction of Edgardo Mortara
• La Chimera
• My Summer with Irène
• Palazzina Laf
  

Special Screenings

• A Thousand Forests
• An Errand
• If My Lover Were a Flower
• Lost Sabungeros

Opening Film

• Cold Cut
• Nightbirds
• Silig
• Walay Balay

Closing Film

• Cloud