PHILIPPINES–Twitter was swept today with an alarming trending topic that involves 2019 Cinemalaya Philippine Independent Film Festival entry, Fuccbois, written and directed by award-winning director Eduardo Roy, Jr.
On the social media platform, high definition copies of the thought-provoking film were illegally shared on YouTube and even drive links that lead to the download of the full length film. Worse, some even offered the full movie in exchange for payment.
“Gulat kami lahat sa pag-leak ng Fuccbois. Sa ngayon, ginagawan na namin ng legal na hakbang para mahinto ang pagkalat pa nito (We were surprised about the leak of Fuccbois. As of now, we are setting up means legally to stop the spread of the film illegally),” the Best Director awardee of the premier film festival tells Rank Magazine, upon learning of the film’s online piracy.
Fuccbois, is a riveting drama that navigates the uncharted territories of the male bikini pageant circuit, delving in deeper into the sex-for-pay business. Loosely based on actual news-reported events, the film features newcomers Kokoy De Santos and Royce Cabrera, who play two young men who got caught in the tangled web of deceit, controversy, and power struggle. The film went on to win top awards for Roy as the festival’s Best Director and for Ricky Davao, for the Best Supporting Actor plum.
When asked about the unauthorized leak, Roy noted, “Alam namin na nakakulong tayo sa kani-kaniyang bahay dahil sa pandemic at kailangan natin ng libangan pero huwag naman natin panuorin ang galing sa nakaw, (We know that we are in stuck in our own homes because of the pandemic and all of us are looking for means of entertainment, but remember to support our local films and not stolen materials.)
Lead actor, Royce Cabrera, who played Ace Policarpio on the film said, “Nagpapasalamat ako sa maraming sumusuporta sa Fuccbois kahit pagkatapos ng Cinelamaya 2019, pero sana sa tamang paraan din natin suportahan ang pelikulang ito. Huwag nang panuorin pa ang mga ilegal na kopya at i-report na lang ang lahat ng movie links na makikita ninyo dahil may tamang proseso naman para sa lahat. (I am really grateful to know that a lot of people are supporting Fuccbois even after Cinemalaya 2019, but I hope they show their support the right way. Do not watch illegal copies of the films, instead, just report all the all movie links that try to do this. Everything has to go through its right processes.)”
The young actor continued, “Huwag na sanang sa i-pirata pa dahil sa kahit na anong aspeto, mali talaga ang magnakaw ng pelikula na pinagpaguran ng mga taong nagtrabaho para doon. Patuloy sanang suportahan ang pelikulang Pilipino. Please stay safe. (I hope that this no longer gets pirated because in every aspect, it is wrong to steal a film that has been worked on by a lot of people behind it. I hope you continue to support the Filipino film industry. Please stay safe!)
Fellow lead actor, Kokoy De Santos, who played the character of Miko, stated, “Nagpapasalamat po ako sa mga tao na nagmemessage sakin kung kumusta ako. Naiintindihan ko po na marami ang gustong manuod ng pelikulang ito, pero sana wag nating suportahan ang ganitong klaseng paraan, dahil pamimirata po ito,” (I am grateful to thos who have been sending me message, asking how I am. I understand that many are still interested to watch the film, but we are pleading everyone to not support piracy.)
The young actor adds, “Sana po ay bigyang respeto ang mga taong naghirap para gawin ang pelikulang ito. Hindi po biro ang paggawa nito, dugo at pawis ang inalay ng bawat isa dito, sa harap at likod ng camera.” (We hope that due respect would be given to the people who have worked hard to make this movie. Making this film is no joke. Each of us who are part of this film, in front and behind the camera, have given our blood and sweat to make this happen.)
Right now, the film director shared that reporting unauthorized accounts on Twitter and YouTube that are sharing the film would go a long way as legal actions are currently being discussed, including an investigation of the source of the leak. He adds, “Nakakagalit at nakakapanghina na yung pinaghirapan ng mga tao sa likod ng pelikula ay nanakawin lang ng ganun ganun. Gusto ko lang ipaalala na krimen ang pagnakaw ng pelikula. Mahinto na sana ito dahil gumagawa na kami ng aksyon tungkol dito. (It is infuriating and disheartening to know that the film that the people behind it toiled for will just land on the hands of perpetrators. We wish to remind the public that it stealing films and piracy is a crime. We hope that this stops as we have been taking on legal actions to address this.)”
Instead, the film’s director encourages viewers to wait for legitimate platforms that would support the film and the people who worked on it. He adds, “Nasa gitna kami ng negosasyon para maipalabas ito sa tamang platform. Tumagal lang dahil sa legalities. Sana matuloy pa din. Marami pa rin kaming balak para sa Fuccbois. (We are in the middle of negotiations to release the film on the right platform. It just took a while as we focused on the legalities of it. We are in high spirit that this pushes through. We still have a lot of plans for the film.)
Recently, another award-winning Cinemalaya film, John Denver Trending was officially released on popular streaming platfform iWant. Unfortunately, the film director and the team behind it, continues to be burdened with a fight for piracy and unauthorized sharing of the film.
Please be reminded that film piracy is punishable by law. Support Filipino films and stop the unlawful distribution and sharing of locally-made materials. If you have seen links and uploads of the film, please report the unauthorized accounts and do not support the illegal sharing and spread of the film.
Watch the full trailer of the film below:
Banner Image: Photograph by Rxandy Capinpin