With John Travolta, Gregory Nava and a host of other luminaries lighting it up, the 12th Panama International Film Festival wrapped Sunday on a high note, with general attendance exceeding expectations.
Speaking at the closing ceremony held at the Canal Museum, Pituka Ortega-Heilbron, Iff Panama Board President, hailed this latest edition as a vibrant rebirth for the festival.
“We were hit by the phenomenon of the pandemic, and we certainly don’t want to complain or victimize ourselves because to fight is synonymous with living, but this festival has fought tirelessly for the last four years to thrive.”
“There’s still much ground to cover. We must work together – government, community groups, and businesses – to understand how important cultural and creative industries are for our country’s economy and society to grow,” declared Culture Minister Giselle González Villarué, who later told Variety that a delayed feasibility study that would explore...
Speaking at the closing ceremony held at the Canal Museum, Pituka Ortega-Heilbron, Iff Panama Board President, hailed this latest edition as a vibrant rebirth for the festival.
“We were hit by the phenomenon of the pandemic, and we certainly don’t want to complain or victimize ourselves because to fight is synonymous with living, but this festival has fought tirelessly for the last four years to thrive.”
“There’s still much ground to cover. We must work together – government, community groups, and businesses – to understand how important cultural and creative industries are for our country’s economy and society to grow,” declared Culture Minister Giselle González Villarué, who later told Variety that a delayed feasibility study that would explore...
- 4/9/2024
- by Anna Marie de la Fuente
- Variety Film + TV
Running April 4-7, the Iff Panama brings to this year’s edition a rich mix of standout director driven titles from Europe, the Spanish-speaking world and beyond, spangled by highlights from Central America, including Panama:
“Bila Burba,” (Duiren Wagua, Panama)
Documentary. Wagua’s debut feature. The Gunadule nation’s ties with the Panamanian government were fraught with territorial and cultural disputes. In 1925, leaders Simral Colman and Nele Kantule, inspired by their warrior ancestors, joined forces to unite their communities in the ‘Dule Revolution’ against police brutality. Today, their descendants honor this legacy through street theater, transforming community streets into stages to commemorate their ancestors’ struggle.
Bila Burba
“Brown,” (Ricardo Aguilar, Panama)
Penned by Aguilar’s regular collaborator, Manolito Rodríguez, the story centers on Teófilo Alfonso, also known as “Panamá Al” Brown, the first Latin American World Boxing Champion. After a fixed fight costs him his title, he retires to Paris.
“Bila Burba,” (Duiren Wagua, Panama)
Documentary. Wagua’s debut feature. The Gunadule nation’s ties with the Panamanian government were fraught with territorial and cultural disputes. In 1925, leaders Simral Colman and Nele Kantule, inspired by their warrior ancestors, joined forces to unite their communities in the ‘Dule Revolution’ against police brutality. Today, their descendants honor this legacy through street theater, transforming community streets into stages to commemorate their ancestors’ struggle.
Bila Burba
“Brown,” (Ricardo Aguilar, Panama)
Penned by Aguilar’s regular collaborator, Manolito Rodríguez, the story centers on Teófilo Alfonso, also known as “Panamá Al” Brown, the first Latin American World Boxing Champion. After a fixed fight costs him his title, he retires to Paris.
- 4/3/2024
- by Anna Marie de la Fuente
- Variety Film + TV
While a number of films have been made about Panama’s Indigenous communities, few are by native filmmakers themselves. To date, perhaps only three Indigenous Panamanian filmmakers have ventured into filmmaking. Duiren Wagua, whose documentary feature debut “Bila Burba” plays at this year’s 12th Panama International Film Festival (Iff Panama), running April 4-7, is hoping to change the status quo.
Wagua and the company he co-founded with his brother Orgun, Wagua Films, have provided production and consulting services to companies seeking to film in Panama’s Indigenous territories. Orgun Wagua is also an editor and has worked on the projects of Ivan Jaripio, who hails from the Emberá community of Piriati.
The Wagua brothers also provided production services to the second Indigenous-themed docu at the fest, “God Is a Woman” by Swiss-Panamanian Andres Peyrot, where they also feature among the talking heads. In it, Duiren notes that in the past,...
Wagua and the company he co-founded with his brother Orgun, Wagua Films, have provided production and consulting services to companies seeking to film in Panama’s Indigenous territories. Orgun Wagua is also an editor and has worked on the projects of Ivan Jaripio, who hails from the Emberá community of Piriati.
The Wagua brothers also provided production services to the second Indigenous-themed docu at the fest, “God Is a Woman” by Swiss-Panamanian Andres Peyrot, where they also feature among the talking heads. In it, Duiren notes that in the past,...
- 4/3/2024
- by Anna Marie de la Fuente
- Variety Film + TV
Also programmes IDFA on Stage events, plus Paradocs and queer programme.
International Documentary Festival Amsterdam (IDFA) has selected 35 feature films across its Luminous and Frontlight sections, including new films from Albania, South Africa and Panama.
The Luminous section includes non-fiction titles with a range of styles and formalistic approaches, and consists of 23 films, 22 of which are world or international premieres and 20 of which are features.
Titles include Zikethiwe Ngcobo and Chloe White’s South Africa-uk co-production 1001 Days, about the young mothers struggling to raise their children amid unemployment, poverty, disease and domestic violence in Johannesburg. The film, with Zulu and English-language dialogue,...
International Documentary Festival Amsterdam (IDFA) has selected 35 feature films across its Luminous and Frontlight sections, including new films from Albania, South Africa and Panama.
The Luminous section includes non-fiction titles with a range of styles and formalistic approaches, and consists of 23 films, 22 of which are world or international premieres and 20 of which are features.
Titles include Zikethiwe Ngcobo and Chloe White’s South Africa-uk co-production 1001 Days, about the young mothers struggling to raise their children amid unemployment, poverty, disease and domestic violence in Johannesburg. The film, with Zulu and English-language dialogue,...
- 10/10/2023
- by Ben Dalton
- ScreenDaily
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