The SUN HK : SB19 HK fans out in droves for ‘Pagtatag’ documentary

A'Tins or SB19 fans pack cinema lobby in Tai Koo

Fans of the Philippines’ highly popular boy band, SB19, were out in force today, Wednesday, to watch ‘PAGTATAG!' a documentary which chronicles their idols’ ups and downs during their highly successful world concert tour in 2023, and the temporary uncertainty that followed when they were stopped from using the name that made them famous.

Most of those in the sold-out screening were Filipino domestic workers who have been worshipping from afar the five-man band made up of Pablo, Josh, Stell, Ken and Justin - but there were local fans, too.

Basahin ang detalye!

Among them was Iris, who says she has been to the Philippines and Japan to watch the foremost P-pop (Pilipino pop) group in concert, and was such a fan that she showed up at the movie house wearing a t-shirt and lanyard bearing their name.

“I like them because of their music, the message from the songs, their extraordinary talent and their life stories that keep me in their fandom,” the 20-something Iris said.

HK fan Iris says she's been to Japan and the Philippines to watch the SB19 in concert

She said she started out being a fan of K-pop (or Korean pop) music, but after she discovered SB19 and learned about their extraordinary struggle to keep on making music as a group, they became her utmost favourite.

Iris said that she expects her fellow SB19 fans from Macau to come to Hong Kong on Sept 22 to watch the documentary, which has been booked for five more screenings across the city due to the overwhelming support for the initial shows.

Not to be outdone were the band’s Filipina followers, especially the “admins” (administrators) of the Facebook page, SB19 Hong Kong A’TIN (the name by which their fans are known), who made sure they were at the cinema way ahead of time to display their band merchandise and take photos.

To them, the band is not just SB19 but also “Mahalima”, a term of endearment that translates to “Mahal na lima” or (Beloved five).

Fans call them 'Mahalima' for 'mahal na lima' (beloved five)

One of them, Lucy, said they love the group because the members are all so talented, but also because they believe in supporting “ang sariling atin” (our very own).

“Mas suportahan natin ang sariling atin, para magkaroon tayo ng sariling P-pop, para maipakilala ang OPM sa buong mundo,” Lucy said (We should support our own so we could have our own P-pop and OPM (original Pilipino music) will be known all over the world.

One of her companions has another reason for being A’TIN. She said she considers SB19 a godsend as she first heard of them while she was undergoing severe mental stress due to her work as a domestic helper.

“Dumating sila sa buhay ko…noong 2019. Super depressed ako noon so I said, ‘God help me, I can’t live anymore. Sila po ang pinadala. It’s a miracle talaga na dumating sila sa buhay ko,” she said. (They came to my life in 2019. I was very depressed then so I asked God to help me as I felt I could not go on living. He sent them to me. It was really a miracle that they came into my life).

This avowed A'Tin regards the SB19 band 'godsend'

Such stories are one of the reasons they keep on going, according to SB19 leader Pablo in one of the interviews the group had as they were starting to be recognized.

But such back stories are not part of the documentary, which assumes that those who watch it are already A’TINs. There are no extensive concert footages, not even a song sung in full by the band.

Instead, the film focuses on the preparations as well as the state of mind of the five band members during the PAGTATAG World Tour across the United States and Canada in the summer of 2023, until early this year during the promotion of their EP (extended play recording).

The film reaches a climax when, just as they were about to continue their tour to countries nearer home, the group was told that they could no longer use the name SB19. The band members were filmed being gripped by uncertainty as their scheduled tour to Japan, Dubai, Bangkok and Singapore were cancelled one after another.

But just as everything seemed lost, and the band faced a repeat of the years of struggles they had to go through before striking it big in 2019, we are told that a settlement had been reached, and they could resume using the name that made them the country's foremost P-pop band.

It's all good vibes inside the cinema as fans sing one of SB19's hits during the closing credits

‘PAGTATAG,’ which began screening in theaters on Aug. 28, is now officially the country’s highest grossing documentary of all time.

In Hong Kong, today’s screening at ‘Movie Movie’ in Cityplaza, Tai Koo Shing, was one of two that sold out in just a couple of hours despite the hefty $150 tickets.

Because of this, the cinema company lost no time scheduling five more screenings on Sunday, Sept. 22 and Sept. 29, in various cinemas in Hong Kong and Kowloon. As of this writing, the one scheduled at 1:30pm on Sept 22 at Premier Elements, in West Kowloon, is already sold out.

The other screenings are on Sept 22 are at 11:35am, Movie Movie at Pacific Place, Admiralty; 1:30pm at Palace IFC in Central; and 4:15pm at Gala Cinema, Langham Place, Mong Kok. There will be another screening at Movie Movie in Tai Koo Shing on Sept. 29 at 2pm.

Ultimately, though, the A'TINs are all dreaming of seeing their idols, live in concert. Sony Philippines, with whom SB19 has a recording contract, says this could happen by next year. But before this, at least one of the band's members could come to Hong Kong to be with their fans. A'TINs, take note.