Peru’s Tribeca-Winning Doc ‘Runa Simi’ Opens IFF Panama Which Closes with Leticia Tonos’ ‘Milly, Queen of Merengue’

Noteworthy changes are afoot at the Panama International Film Festival (IFF Panama) running April 9-12 this year. In a nod to the wealth of documentary filmmaking across the region and beyond, the festival is introducing an international competition for non-fiction features, just another step in further expanding its program to a diversity of international voices.

Now on its 14^th edition, the festival opens with documentary “Runa Simi,” from Peru’s Augusto Zegarra. The docu had its world premiere at Tribeca where Zegarra took home the Albert Maysles Award for documentary director followed by a string of prizes from other festivals. The Dominican Republic’s Leticia Tonos closes the fest with her bio-musical “Milly, the Queen of Merengue.”

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“Runa Simi” follows Fernando Valencia, a radio host from Cusco, who decides to dub “The Lion King” into Quechua alongside his son Dylan, transforming the project into an act of linguistic preservation and a powerful bond between father and son. Valencia and his son will be present at the fest opening, to be held at the emblematic Teatro Nacional (National Theatre).

“We are going back to the National Theatre, which we are outfitting with great equipment, great sound and a big screen,” said Pituka Ortega-Heilbron, president of the IFF Panama Foundation’s board of directors.

Reflecting on the festival’s 14 years, she remarked: “We’re here to stay—thanks to the strong support we’ve received from local and international filmmakers, the festival is no longer optional; it’s essential.”

The screening of some 40 films from across Latin America, Europe, Asia and even Africa, will mainly take place this year at the new City of Arts complex, inaugurated last year by the country’s Ministry of Culture. “We will be screening films here as well as at the National Theatre and the Canal Museum,” noted IFF Panama executive director Karla Quintero, who added that the festival continues in its bid to attract younger audiences. It plans an Open-Air screening by the Frank Gehry-designed Bio Museum, located on the Amador Causeway frequented by families. 

“The other outdoor venue is a neighborhood in the suburbs called San Miguelito where we’ll screen an animated feature ‘Olivia and the Invisible Earthquake,’ a Spanish family movie about anxiety in young people and how the family and the neighborhood help to counteract it,” she said. Another youth-targeted film in the program is Thai horror-comedy “A Useful Ghost.”

A post-pandemic record of seven Panamanian films will be in competition, thanks to the new initiatives that have spurred filmmaking in the country. Leading the charge is “Tropical Paradise,” Abner Benaim’s (“Plaza Catedral”) most personal film to date, a psychological docu-thriller about a 1994 attack in Panama and its lasting impact on survivors, families and the community.

Among international premieres are “Saloma,” helmed by Miguel González, a documentary that pays tribute to the Panamanian countryside, family memory and rural roots and “Sana y Salva,” by Puerto Rico’s Arí Maniel Cruz, a dramedy that follows a pregnant Dominican immigrant who arrives clandestinely in Puerto Rico. These titles are joined by Cannes Un Certain Regard winner “The Mysterious Gaze of the Flamingo” from Chile, which will mark its Central American premiere at the festival.

Graphic artist Mariana Núñez, a frequent collaborator of the festival, has developed a visual concept that will evolve toward the celebration of its 15th anniversary next year, a milestone for the festival. The foundation, led by Ortega-Heilbron, aims to function as a kind of Sundance Institute where new projects and filmmakers will be nurtured, ultimately contributing to the country’s cultural development.

Guatemala’s Jayro Bustamante returns to the fest with his latest opus “Mountains of Fire,” which delves into indigenous issues. He recently championed the call, alongside “Frankenstein” lead Oscar Isaac, and thousands from across Ibero-America, for Guatemala to pass a film law.

Guatemala joins the drive across the region to create legal frameworks for their audiovisual industries. FIPCA, the Ibero-American Federation of Cinematographic and Audiovisual Production, recently pointed out “clear and measurable data” in support of the initiatives. It cited how the Dominican Republic, following the implementation of its film law, saw its sector increase national GDP by 0.32% while in Panama, the audiovisual sector forms part of the creative industries, which account for about 6% of GDP. In Costa Rica, these industries represent approximately 3% of GDP.

IFF Panama’s Industry sessions, held on April 9, will include panels, talks and a masterclass from Argentina’s Manuel Abramovich (“Pornomelancholia”), winner of a Berlinale Silver Bear in 2019 for his short, “Blue Boy.”

Vice Minister of Culture Arianne Benedetti and Sheila Gonzalez, director of the National Film Directorate, will kick off Industry Day with Ortega-Heilbron moderating where they will discuss the role of the State in bolstering Panama’s audiovisual ecosystem, addressing incentives, funding, training and distribution.

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ Angélica Cervantes, senior director, member and industry relations, will give a practical overview of the Academy – how it works, how to join and how to submit a film for the Oscars, from eligibility to consideration.

Another key highlight will be the panel Cinema in Times of Cholera, which will explore cinema as a space for memory, resistance and transformation in times of social and political tension. Puerto Rico’s “Esta Isla” directors Cristian Carretero and Lorraine Jones join Bustamante and Zegarra to discuss the ethical and creative choices behind their work, in a conversation moderated by David Hernández Palmar.

In the conversation, Inside the Deal, former The Mediapro Studio exec Leslie Cohen will be speaking with Ortega-Heilbron about how projects with potential are identified, deals negotiated and films positioned in the global industry – offering insight into how they connect with international distribution opportunities.