Overview
The International Film Festival of Panama (IFF Panama) is Panama's premier film festival and one of Central America's most important cinematic events. Founded in 2012 and operated by the IFF Panama Foundation, the festival held its 14th edition from April 9 to 12, 2026, screening approximately 40 films from across Latin America, Europe, Asia, and Africa. The festival is led by Pituka Ortega-Heilbron (President of the Board) and Karla Quintero (Executive Director).
The 14th edition opened with Runa Simi, a documentary from Peruvian director Augusto Zegarra that won the Albert Maysles Award for documentary director at Tribeca. The film follows Fernando Valencia, a radio host from Cusco who dubs The Lion King into Quechua alongside his son. The closing film was Milly, the Queen of Merengue, a bio-musical from the Dominican Republic's Leticia Tonos. The festival screened a post-pandemic record of seven Panamanian films in competition, led by Abner Benaim's Tropical Paradise, a psychological documentary-thriller about a 1994 attack in Panama.
IFF Panama introduced a new international documentary competition in its 14th edition, reflecting the wealth of documentary filmmaking across the region. The festival also presented the Central American premiere of Cannes Un Certain Regard winner The Mysterious Gaze of the Flamingo from Chile, and hosted Guatemala's Jayro Bustamante with his latest film Mountains of Fire, which explores indigenous issues.
Screening venues include the Teatro Nacional (National Theatre), the Ciudad de las Artes (City of Arts complex, inaugurated in 2025 by Panama's Ministry of Culture), the Museo del Canal (Canal Museum), the Frank Gehry-designed Bio Museum on the Amador Causeway, and the San Miguelito neighborhood for community screenings. The festival plans to celebrate its 15th anniversary in 2027.
Key Sections
- Iberoamerican Portal - competitive section featuring films from Latin America, Spain, and Portugal
- International Portal - international films beyond the Iberoamerican scope
- Perspectiva Panama - Panamanian films in competition. The 2026 edition featured a post-pandemic record of 7 Panamanian films
- Documentary Competition - new international non-fiction competition introduced in the 14th edition (2026)
- Historias de Centroamerica y el Caribe - films from Central America and the Caribbean
- Primera Mirada - post-production fund for Central American and Caribbean feature films, with up to 5 projects selected and up to $15,000 in cash prizes
- Su Mirada - development and post-production fund for women filmmakers from Central America and the Caribbean, with $15,000 total in cash prizes
- Documental Panama - Panamanian documentary competition, celebrating its 6th edition in 2026
- Open-Air Screenings - free community screenings at the Bio Museum and in San Miguelito
Industry Programs and Funds
IFF Panama operates two industry funds that provide direct financial support to filmmakers from Central America and the Caribbean:
Primera Mirada (First Look): Supports feature films in post-production from Central America and the Caribbean. Up to 5 projects selected per edition, with up to $15,000 in cash prizes. Requirements include a minimum 60-minute first cut subtitled in English or Spanish, and the Latin American premiere of the winning film must take place at IFF Panama. Submissions for the 14th edition were accepted October 22 to December 22, 2025. 2026 winner: Jeissy Trompiz Albornoz (Dominican Republic) for The Language of Water. Contact: industria@iffpanama.org
Su Mirada (Her Gaze): Supports feature films by women filmmakers from Central America and the Caribbean in both development and post-production. Cash prize: $15,000 total, split between development ($5,000) and post-production ($10,000), supported by the Inter-American Development Bank (BID). 2026 winners: Sofia Quiros Ubeda (Costa Rica) for Madre Pajaro (post-production), Laura Garcia Cordon (Guatemala) for Torre de Papel (development).
What Filmmakers Should Know
IFF Panama is the most important festival platform for Central American and Caribbean filmmakers seeking both exposure and financial support. The Primera Mirada and Su Mirada funds provide direct cash awards that can complete a film's post-production. Past Primera Mirada recipients have gone on to screen at Berlinale, Rotterdam, Guadalajara, and IDFA Amsterdam, including Ana Elena Tejera (Panama), Ariel Escalante (Costa Rica), Johanne Gomez Terrero (Dominican Republic), and Nelson Carlo De Los Santos (Dominican Republic).
For international filmmakers, IFF Panama offers access to the Central American market and networking with Latin American industry professionals. The festival's 4-day format is compact but densely programmed, with screenings, industry events, and pitch sessions taking place concurrently. The festival's location in Panama City, a major banking and commerce hub connecting North and South America, gives it a crossroads character that attracts attendees from both hemispheres.
Major Awards
- Copa Airlines Audience Award for Best Film - voted by festival audiences
- Best Documentary - new award introduced in the 14th edition (2026)
- Primera Mirada Award - up to $15,000 cash prize for post-production
- Su Mirada Post-Production Award - $10,000 cash prize
- Su Mirada Development Award - $5,000 cash prize
- Documental Panama Awards - Panamanian documentary competition, 6th edition in 2026
Festival History
IFF Panama was founded in 2012 by Pituka Ortega-Heilbron, who continues to lead the festival's foundation as President of the Board. The festival was established to provide Panama with a dedicated international cinema platform, leveraging the country's unique geographic position as the crossroads of the Americas.
Over 14 editions, the festival has grown from a small regional event to a recognized platform in the Latin American festival circuit. The introduction of the Primera Mirada fund marked a shift from purely exhibition-based programming to active industry support. The 2026 edition marked several milestones: the introduction of the international documentary competition, a post-pandemic record of 7 Panamanian films in competition, and the move to the new Ciudad de las Artes complex as a primary venue. The festival plans to celebrate its 15th anniversary in 2027 with expanded programming.
Past Winners
The Copa Airlines Audience Award is IFF Panama's top prize, voted by festival audiences rather than a jury. Recent winners:
- 2026 (14th edition): Tropical Paradise (Paraiso Tropical) by Abner Benaim (Panama) - a psychological docu-thriller about a 1994 terrorist attack in Panama. Benaim has represented Panama at the Oscars three times, including the shortlisted Plaza Catedral. The film is set for theatrical release in Panama.
- 2025 (13th edition): The Sorcerer: Julio Zachrisson (El Brujo) by Felix Guardia (Panama) - a debut documentary blending animation and archival footage about Panamanian artist Julio Zachrisson. It beat Berlinale winner Pepe and Venice winner Kill the Jockey for the audience prize.
- 2024 (12th edition): Bila Burba by Duiren Wagua (Panama) - a debut documentary from an Indigenous Panamanian filmmaker. It played to a packed screening, beating Memory by Michel Franco and Io Capitano.
- 2026 Best Documentary (new award): Put Your Soul on Your Hand and Walk by Sepideh Farsi - a documentary about Palestinian photojournalist Fatma Hassona in Gaza. Acquired by Kino Lorber for US theatrical release.
The Primera Mirada post-production prize recent winners include Jeissy Trompiz Albornoz (Dominican Republic) for The Language of Water (2026) and Tito Rodriguez (Dominican Republic) for Rafaela (2020).
Notable Alumni Films and Where They Ended Up
IFF Panama's Primera Mirada fund has launched films that went on to major festivals:
- *Cocote (2017) by Nelson Carlo de los Santos (Dominican Republic) - won Primera Mirada, then premiered at Locarno where it won the Signs of Life Award. Screened at Toronto. De los Santos later won the Berlinale Golden Bear in 2025 for Pepe*.
- *Panquiaco (2020) by Ana Elena Tejera (Panama) - won Primera Mirada, then world premiered at Rotterdam's Bright Future competition. Screened at Hot Docs and Doclisboa. Tejera later screened her short A Love Song in Spanish* at Berlinale 2021.
- *Sugar Island* (2025) by Johanne Gomez (Dominican Republic) - competed for the Audience Award. North American rights sold to ArtMattan Productions during the festival.
- *Ruben Blades is Not My Name* (2018) by Abner Benaim (Panama) - screened at IFF Panama before theatrical release across Central America. Later streamed on Netflix.
Submission Tips Specific to This Festival
IFF Panama's programming taste leans toward Iberoamerican fiction and documentary, with a strong preference for films from or about Central America, the Caribbean, and indigenous communities. The 2026 edition opened with Runa Simi, a Peruvian documentary about Quechua language preservation, and hosted Guatemala's Jayro Bustamante with Mountains of Fire on indigenous issues. Films dealing with regional identity, postcolonial themes, and cross-cultural encounters align with the festival's curatorial focus.
For the Primera Mirada fund, submit a minimum 60-minute first cut with English or Spanish subtitles. The jury evaluates works-in-progress, so a rough cut with clear narrative structure scores better than a polished cut without a story. Hold your Latin American premiere status if targeting this fund, since the winning film's Latin American premiere must take place at IFF Panama.
For the Su Mirada fund, applicants must be women filmmakers aged 25 or older, residents of eligible countries, and must have directed at least one short film. The Audience Award tends to go to films that connect emotionally with regional audiences. Local stories and documentaries about Latin American cultural figures have performed well.
Industry Reputation Notes
IFF Panama is the leading festival platform for Central American and Caribbean cinema. It does not compete with major Latin American festivals like Guadalajara (FICG) or Buenos Aires (BAFICI) in scale or market activity, but it fills a gap those festivals do not: direct financial support for Central American and Caribbean filmmakers. No other festival in the region offers comparable post-production cash prizes targeted at this geographic bloc.
Compared to the Havana Film Festival, which has a broader Latin American scope and longer history, IFF Panama is smaller and more industry-focused, with a compact 4-day format that concentrates networking. The festival attracts sales agents and programmers from Berlinale, Toronto, Tribeca, and FiGa Films who attend to discover new Central American and Caribbean titles before they hit the European circuit.
The festival is not Academy Award-qualifying and does not operate a formal film market. Its industry value is strongest for filmmakers seeking post-production funding and regional visibility rather than acquisition deals, though the 2025 sale of Sugar Island to ArtMattan Productions during the festival shows distribution deals do happen.
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See Also
To calculate the return on your festival submission spending, use the Festival ROI Calculator. For Central American cinema markets, see International Film Markets. For festival circuit planning, see Film Festival Strategy. For Primera Mirada and Su Mirada fund details and eligibility, visit iffpanama.ong/en/your-industry.
