IFF Panama 2018

Yesterday brought the start to Panama’s seventh annual International Film Festival (IFF) This year, the most 74 productions will be screened in Panama coming from a total of 51 countries.

Executive director Pituka Ortega Heilbron, explains that this year the event seeks to "move the heart and open the mind," while providing a exposure for national filmmakers. 

"This is a festival for Panamanian filmmakers," Ortega Heilbron said in a press conference on Thursday, April 5th, which marked the start of IFF Panama in Panama City. Local productions make up more than 10% of programming this year. 

IFF Panama 2018 Programming 

This year IFF Panama brings 74 films to the isthmus, among them are comedies, documentaries and dramas. Among the issues discussed this year are the issues of old age, discrimination against minorities, the situation of refugees in Europe and more. The program for this year’s Panama 2018 IFF includes eight Panamanian productions, which are both fiction and non-fiction, documentaries that take on historical moments, outstanding personalities and problems in our country. 

The Panamanian films this year include: “Panama Al Brown: when the fist opens", "Diciembres", "The Force of the Ball", "Without a Voice", "A night of Calypso", "Paname", "I do not call myself Rubén Blades" and "T’ACH". 

"I do not call myself Rubén Blades" directed by Abner Benaim, one of Panama’s leading filmmakers, whose recent features include the 2014 docu “Invasion” – is attending IFF Panama for the fest’s closing film, “Ruben Blades Is Not My Name,” opened at South by Southwest (SXSW) where it won the audience prize, in the 24 Beats Per Second section.

The trailer has been a viral hit, with over 1 million views on Facebook.

Venues for IFF Panama 2018

There are several venues for this year’s IFF festival in Panama City. The venues include Cinépolis Mutiplaza, the Balboa Theater, the Mirador del Pacífico on the Cinta Costera II. This year IFF will add a new venue, the Gladys Vidal Theater, recently inaugurated by the Municipality of Panama. 

Educational agenda for IFF Panama 2018

Each year IFF offers a series of educational programs that are open to the public. The workshops, lectures, and panels this year will aim to look at the role of women in society, production without a big budget, copyrighting, and the opportunities offered by digital systems. 

Tickets to workshops, panels, talks, and screenings are on sale at Panatickets.