The theme of motherhood prevails in IFF Panama’s Su Mirada – Her Gaze – program but from less traditional approaches, says industry coordinator Cat Caballero, who has observed different outlooks in this year’s crop.
“You see varying perspectives that range from a child’s relationship with his mother, as well as on the woman who decides not to become a mother, and the one who chose to be a mother but is struggling through that whole process,” she notes.
The theme came up organically, she observes, even among those who were not selected.
“They also dealt with motherhood – but not necessarily from the experience of being a mother, rather from other aspects of motherhood as an experience for women. That really caught my attention, especially because these are unconventional outlooks on that experience.”
The section is split into two categories, development and post (WIP) with 15 contenders in the former of which one will take home a cash prize of $5,000.
The winner of the WIP section, which has three finalists chosen out of 10 submissions, earns $10,000. Deliberations on both sections were held virtually before the festival and the winners will be announced at the closing night on April 12.
Thanks to the alliance between both IFF Panama and Colombia’s Cartagena Film Festival (FICCI), the WIP prizewinner will travel to Cartagena where they will be given the chance to further develop their project and build strategic connections with potential partners. FICCI runs over April 14 – 19.
IFF Panama takes place April 9 – 12.
WIP jurors are Diana Cadavid, LALIFF and TIFF Programmer; Itzel Martínez, filmmaker and head of Ambulante, and Mariana Núñez, visual artist, designer and VP of communications and culture at Ciudad del Saber, Panama.
“Silent Birds” (“Madre Pájaro”), Sofía Quirós Úbeda, Costa Rica, Argentina.
Pic follows an eight-year-old boy navigating grief and shifting family bonds as he confronts his mother’s illness in a rural landscape. Produced by Sputnik Films, Murillo Cine and a wide international consortium, it reflects a strong multi-country co-production model. With a cast led by Oliver Macluf Vargas and Wendy Chinchilla (“Clara Sola”), the project reinforces the region’s auteur-driven pipeline. Quirós Úbeda describes it as “a reflection on other ways of accompanying childhood through grief, without replacing those who are gone.”
‘Silent Birds’ Courtesy of Sputnik Films
“The Fool and the Moon” (“El Loco y la Luna”), Julia Scrive-Loyer, Dominican Republic, Argentina.
A character-driven feature follows a man confronting grief, guilt and emotional paralysis after his mother’s death, as he attempts to reconnect with his past. Produced by Monte & Culebra and Argentina’s Greta Films, with support from Ibermedia, it reflects a growing regional co-production network. The company continues its auteur-driven trajectory following titles like “Pepe,” winner of the Silver Bear at Berlinale 2024. Scrive-Loyer describes it as “an invitation to eventually find our own way to be free.” Written and directed by Julia Scrive-Loyer, it stars José Luis Jiménez, Maia Otero, Carlos García, Vicente Santos, Judith Rodríguez.
“To the Future” (“Al futuro”), Paz Fábrega, Costa Rica, Uruguay, Spain
Balancing motherhood, financial pressure and creative urgency, Fábrega turns the camera on her own life in a hybrid exploration of fiction and documentary. Produced by Costa Rica’s Temporal Films alongside La Mayor Cine (Uruguay) and Edna Cinema (Spain), it builds on the company’s internationally recognized slate, including Rotterdam Tiger prizewinner “Agua fría de mar,” “Viaje” and “Medea.” Co-producer Carla Sospedra describes it as “an intensely personal project in which Paz Fábrega not only directs but also appears on-screen alongside her children. Her tender yet uncompromisingly realistic gaze, filming her own life and assuming emotional and formal risks, results in a unique hybrid format …underscoring the film’s artistic ambition and emotional authenticity.”
FILMS IN DEVELOPMENT Jurors: Elena Gonzalez, director, Cultural Center of Spain; Monica Moya, industry head, Cartagena Film Festival; Nyra Soberón, actress, director and acting coach
“Diaries of Silence” (“Diarios del silencio”), Daniela Muñoz Barroso, Spain, Cuba.
This essay documentary is written, directed and produced by Muñoz Barroso alongside Leila Montero and Efthymia Zymvragaki, and backed by Estudio ST Producciones Cinematográficas, Gris Medio and Colectivo de Creación Estudio ST. Shot across Spain and Cuba in 4K, HD and 16mm, the project blends autobiography and sensory exploration of hearing loss, migration and motherhood. Facing hearing loss, Muñoz travels to Cuba from Madrid to preserve the sensory memory of her home for her child. “I film to preserve the sounds I may lose, turning memory into a space that can still be heard.”
“Do Not Leave Your Homeland” (“Ne quittes pas ton pays”), Aliha Thalien, Martinique, France.
A feature project exploring the legacy of France’s 1960s-launched migration program Bumidom, it follows Augustine, a woman who returned to Martinique after decades in France, as she navigates solitude, memory and community across generations. Thalien’s previous shorts include “Nos Îles,” recognized at FID Marseille, Go Short, DocsBarcelona and “Saturne en Été,” winner at the AfroFuturist Femmes Film Festival. For Thalien, the film will explore “the legacy of Bumidom across several generations in Martinique and the Paris region” through an ensemble-driven, intimate and observational approach.
“Hotel Fung” Carolina Fung, Costa Rica, Panama.
A docu-fiction hybrid exploring memory, migration and identity through the story of a filmmaker reconnecting with her Chinese Costa Rican heritage and her grandparents’ lost hotel. Produced by Sofía Meza Herrera of Blue Paradox Films, the project is positioned as a potential multi-country co-production, with Panama attached and European partners in discussion. It has participated in industry programs including Ibermedia’s Atitlán Projects, Warmi Lan of Mafiz and the Extremadura Film Residency. Also set to participate in the IB platform of DocsMx. Fung describes it as “a feature film about memory, belonging, and identity,” blending documentary, fiction and video game-inspired animation.
‘Hotel Fung’ Courtesy of Blue Paradox Films
“Love in the Time of Bacanería” (“El amor en los tiempos de bacanería”), Patricia Pepén, Dominican Republic.
Set in Santo Domingo, 17-year-old Zuleika navigates romances and her strained relationship with her mother, discovering that true love lies within herself. Produced by Mentes Fritas Producciones, known for “Rafaela,” “El Día de la Tormenta,” and “La Bachata de Biónico,” the project has participated in Warmi Lab, Nuevas Miradas, FICCI Opera Prima Lab and Cannes Marché du Film. Winner of the Audience Design Award from the World Cinema Fund and supported by Fonprocine 2025 and SAPCINE, the producers aim to combine authenticity with audience appeal while expanding international co-productions and financing.
‘Love in the Time of Bacaneria’ Courtesy of Mentes Fritas
“Nana, the Songs of Our Grandmothers” (“Nana, los cantos de nuestras abuelas”), Tamara Espinoza, Nicaragua, Panama.
Docu in advanced development follows a 70-year-old Kuna woman who sings to restore spiritual balance while searching for an heiress as rising sea levels threaten her territory. Produced by Nicaragua’s Cinecolibrí in collaboration with Tecla Films, the project is in discussions for a co-production with Panama-based Ainifilms. It builds on Cinecolibrí’s emerging slate, including “Dule Ina” and “Guided by the Moon.” Protagonist Briseida Iglesias states: “Memory is to be left in the earth.”
‘Nana, the Songs of Our Grandmothers’ Courtesy of Cine Colibri
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“Paper Tower” (“Torre de Papel”), Laura Garcia Cordon, Guatemala.
Set in Guatemala’s courthouse, judges, lawyers, guards, detainees and a mother seeking justice navigate a fragile system where time blurs and law is a daily performance. Produced by Iris Andante, “Paper Tower” builds on the company’s observational documentary work, including the short “Arizona 314: Lecciones para una elección.” Garcia Cordon’s debut feature explores hidden perspectives within the justice system, enabled by her unique access as a journalist. Says Garcia Cordon: “It allows me to document the workings of the courthouse from within, in its courtrooms and hallways and now also in a private office that has given me the privilege of filming the behind-the-scenes of criminal justice.”
‘Paper Tower’ Courtesy of Iris Andante
“Quemada,” Ardelia Istarú, Costa Rica, Panama
Produced by Costa Rica’s Tres Tigres, behind Locarno-won title “I Have Electric Dreams” by Valentina Maurel, and Panama’s Mansa Productora, it has secured the Ibermedia Co-production Fund and is finalizing local financing, with no pre-sales to date. Blending archive, fiction, and performance, the hybrid documentary explores memory, sexuality and a mother–daughter relationship. The project is currently negotiating post-production partnerships in France. Says Istarú: “By blending abstract animation and personal testimony, the film seeks to protect the images of the past and transform memory into a sensory experience of healing.”
‘Quemada’ Courtesy of Tres Tigres
“Routine Procedure” (“Procedimiento De Rutina”), Kryzz Gautier, Dominican Republic, USA.
Following five patients paralyzed by routine surgeries in August 1989, including Clara whose C-section altered her life, the documentary tracks her daughter decades later as she investigates this forgotten medical tragedy. Produced by Reclaimed Entertainment, known for developing bold, character-driven stories across queer, Latina and disabled narratives, the project blends investigative rigor with personal memory. “This film sits at the intersection of investigative journalism and the dissection of an intimate mother–daughter relationship. That tension between personal urgency and factual inquiry is what defines the film,” says Gautier.
“Sirens” (“Sirenas”), Alexandra Latishev Salazar, Costa Rica, Spain.
Set in a coastal town, it follows a woman who, after her husband’s disappearance, becomes entangled with a group of women whose bodies and identities begin to transform. Produced by Costa Rica’s La Linterna Films and Pacífica Grey as well as Spain’s Vitrine, the project builds on the company’s internationally recognized slate, including Latishev’s debut feature “Medea,” which represented Costa Rica in the Oscars and Goyas, and IDFA-winning “Rebel Objects.” Feminist horror project participated in San Sebastian festival’s residency program Ikusmira Berriak and Costa Rica’s Tres Puertos Lab. The producers note it offers “a political reimagining of body and transformation” through a hybrid language between genre and auteur cinema.
“Suggunya: Between Seas, Molas and Memories” (“Suggunya: Entre mares, molas y memorias”), Olowaili Green Santacruz, Colombia, Panama, U.K., U.S.
In advanced development, it follows a young Gunadule woman reclaiming her people’s history of a 17th-century Scottish expedition through memory and weaving traditions. Produced by Colombia’s SentARTE – Art with Meaning, Studio Antirawaa and Panama’s Wagua Films, the film is part of a co-production alliance spanning the Americas and Europe, and aims to shoot in the U.K. It’s currently participating in industry platforms, including The Edinburgh Pitch. It builds on SentARTE’s slate, including “Muu Palaa” and “Akababuru.” Green Santacruz describes it as “a story told from our point of view as women, where struggle and resistance stand out.”
“The Son of the Congo” (“El Hijo del Congo”), Jhojaddy Grissel Ramírez, Panama, Brazil.
An Afro-Panamanian dancer returns to his neighborhood after his father’s death, navigating family responsibility, a violent environment and the need to reconnect with his body and ancestral roots. Produced by Irreverente, known for “Bila Burba” and “Bitácora: The Art of Resistance,” in co-production with República Pureza Filmes (Brazil), the project foregrounds Afro-Panamanian culture and Congo dance and will feature mostly non-pro actors. “’The Son of the Congo’ emerges from the intersection of personal and collective experiences, exploring how body, territory and memory shape Afro-descendant identity,” notes Ramírez.
‘Routine Procedure’ Courtesy of Reclaimed Entertainment
“The Whisper of the River” (“El susurro del río”), Jessica Guifarro, Honduras.
A feature project exploring rootedness and memory through intimate encounters along a river. Produced by Óptica Fílmica, which has been recognized for its documentary shorts “La Leona” and “La Fuente.” The project is still deep in the research and development phase. “I film from the heart of the communities I live in and observe. I combine cell phones, archival footage, and digital cameras to craft personal and collective narratives that preserve local memory,” says Guifarro.
“The Woman from the Heat” (“La mujer del calor”), Natalia Solórzano Vásquez.
A feature following a woman in a town where the sun never sets, whose husband’s miraculous recovery turns her private wish into public punishment, pushing her toward a radical act of redemption. Currently seeking production partners, the project is positioned for international co-production. Solórzano Vásquez describes it as “a way to continue observing the truth when reality needs a body to embody it,” blending her documentary background with a fiction-driven exploration of faith, guilt and the body.
“Under My Bed a Giraffe Sleeps” (“Debajo de mi cama duerme una jirafa”), Aria Sánchez and Marina Meira, Cuba.
A fiction feature centered on a young girl preparing for a national wrestling competition while grappling with her mother’s disappearance and her own shifting sense of reality. Produced by Tijera Producciones, it builds on the company’s slate, including the award-winning short “Primera Enseñanza” and the documentary short “Leonas.” The Cuban-Brazilian directing duo describe it as a film that “works with defamiliarizing elements and atmospheres that lead us to feel the absurd within seemingly ordinary worlds.”
Aria Sánchez and Marina Meira, directors of ‘Under My Head a Giraffe Sleeps,’ Courtesy of Tijera Prods.
“Yara’s Light” (“La luz de Yara”), Violena Ampudia, Spain, Cuba
Hybrid documentary is produced by Estudio ST, based in Madrid and Havana. Filmed in eastern Cuba on 16mm, it gathers local mothers to explore childbirth, postpartum depression and shared memory, blending myth, archive and performance. As stories of the mythical Luz de Yara emerge, a character named Isabel walks into the mountains following a light. Estudio ST, led by Leila Montero and Daniela Muñoz, is known for festival titles including “Mafifa “and “4 Hoyos” and fosters a new generation of Cuban filmmakers.
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