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
Exclusive: Global Screen to handle sales on co-pro about a failed attempt to kill Augusto Pinochet in 1986.
Chilean filmmaker Juan Ignacio Sabatini is to direct a feature about an attempted assassination of former Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet.
Sabatini, best known as the director of Red Eyes, a locally lucrative 2010 documentary about the Chilean national football team, has co-written and will also produce thriller Los Fusileros, which is being set up as a Chile-Agentina-Colombia-Spain co-production.
Sabatini will produce through his Chilean company Villano with Sudestada Cine (Argentina), 64-a Films (Colombia) and Potenza Producciones (Spain). Potenza most recently produced Matías Bizé’s The Memory of Water.
An adaptation of a book by journalist Juan Cristóbal Peña, Los Fusileros tells the story of a cell of the armed wing of the Chilean Communist Party that set an ambush to kill Pinochet in their fight against the dictatorship. They failed.
The character-driven thriller, which won’t have a linear narrative, focuses...
Chilean filmmaker Juan Ignacio Sabatini is to direct a feature about an attempted assassination of former Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet.
Sabatini, best known as the director of Red Eyes, a locally lucrative 2010 documentary about the Chilean national football team, has co-written and will also produce thriller Los Fusileros, which is being set up as a Chile-Agentina-Colombia-Spain co-production.
Sabatini will produce through his Chilean company Villano with Sudestada Cine (Argentina), 64-a Films (Colombia) and Potenza Producciones (Spain). Potenza most recently produced Matías Bizé’s The Memory of Water.
An adaptation of a book by journalist Juan Cristóbal Peña, Los Fusileros tells the story of a cell of the armed wing of the Chilean Communist Party that set an ambush to kill Pinochet in their fight against the dictatorship. They failed.
The character-driven thriller, which won’t have a linear narrative, focuses...
- 10/24/2016
- ScreenDaily
Eighty-five countries have submitted films for consideration in the Foreign Language Film category for the 89th Academy Awards. Yemen is a first-time entrant.
The 2016 submissions are:
Albania, “Chromium,” Bujar Alimani, director;
Algeria, “The Well,” Lotfi Bouchouchi, director;
Argentina, “The Distinguished Citizen,” Mariano Cohn, Gastón Duprat, directors;
Australia, “Tanna,” Bentley Dean, Martin Butler, directors;
Austria, “Stefan Zweig: Farewell to Europe,” Maria Schrader, director;
Bangladesh, “link=tt5510934 auto]The Unnamed[/link],” Tauquir Ahmed, director;
Belgium, “The Ardennes,” Robin Pront, director;
Bolivia, “Sealed Cargo,” Julia Vargas Weise, director;
Bosnia and Herzegovina, “Death in Sarajevo,” Danis Tanovic, director;
Brazil, “Little Secret,” David Schurmann, director;
Bulgaria, “Losers,” Ivaylo Hristov, director;
Cambodia, “Before the Fall,” Ian White, director;
Canada, “It’s Only the End of the World,” Xavier Dolan, director;
Chile, “Neruda,” Pablo Larraín, director;
China, “Xuan Zang,” Huo Jianqi, director;
Colombia, “Alias Maria,” José Luis Rugeles, director;
Costa Rica, “About Us,” Hernán Jiménez, director;
Croatia, “On the Other Side,...
The 2016 submissions are:
Albania, “Chromium,” Bujar Alimani, director;
Algeria, “The Well,” Lotfi Bouchouchi, director;
Argentina, “The Distinguished Citizen,” Mariano Cohn, Gastón Duprat, directors;
Australia, “Tanna,” Bentley Dean, Martin Butler, directors;
Austria, “Stefan Zweig: Farewell to Europe,” Maria Schrader, director;
Bangladesh, “link=tt5510934 auto]The Unnamed[/link],” Tauquir Ahmed, director;
Belgium, “The Ardennes,” Robin Pront, director;
Bolivia, “Sealed Cargo,” Julia Vargas Weise, director;
Bosnia and Herzegovina, “Death in Sarajevo,” Danis Tanovic, director;
Brazil, “Little Secret,” David Schurmann, director;
Bulgaria, “Losers,” Ivaylo Hristov, director;
Cambodia, “Before the Fall,” Ian White, director;
Canada, “It’s Only the End of the World,” Xavier Dolan, director;
Chile, “Neruda,” Pablo Larraín, director;
China, “Xuan Zang,” Huo Jianqi, director;
Colombia, “Alias Maria,” José Luis Rugeles, director;
Costa Rica, “About Us,” Hernán Jiménez, director;
Croatia, “On the Other Side,...
- 10/12/2016
- by Melissa Thompson
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Eighty-five countries have submitted a film for consideration in the 60th anniversary year of the foreign language film category.
The Academy of Motion Pictures Arts & Science said on Tuesday that this season also marks the first time Yemen has submitted a film, Khadija Al-Salami’s I Am Nojoom, Age 10 And Divorced.
The 89th Oscars will take place on February 26, 2017, at the Dolby Theatre at Hollywood & Highland Center in Hollywood. László Nemes’ Hungarian entry Son Of Saul won the award last February.
Foreign-language Academy Award Submissions
(Country, Title, director)
Albania, Chromium, dir Bujar Alimani;
Algeria, The Well, Lotfi Bouchouchi;
Argentina, The Distinguished Citizen, Mariano Cohn, Gastón Duprat;
Australia, Tanna, Bentley Dean, Martin Butler;
Austria, Stefan Zweig: Farewell To Europe, Maria Schrader;
Bangladesh, The Unnamed, Tauquir Ahmed;
Belgium, The Ardennes, Robin Pront;
Bolivia, Sealed Cargo, Julia Vargas Weise;
Bosnia and Herzegovina, Death In Sarajevo, Danis Tanovic;
Brazil, Little Secret, David Schurmann.
Bulgaria, Losers, [link...
The Academy of Motion Pictures Arts & Science said on Tuesday that this season also marks the first time Yemen has submitted a film, Khadija Al-Salami’s I Am Nojoom, Age 10 And Divorced.
The 89th Oscars will take place on February 26, 2017, at the Dolby Theatre at Hollywood & Highland Center in Hollywood. László Nemes’ Hungarian entry Son Of Saul won the award last February.
Foreign-language Academy Award Submissions
(Country, Title, director)
Albania, Chromium, dir Bujar Alimani;
Algeria, The Well, Lotfi Bouchouchi;
Argentina, The Distinguished Citizen, Mariano Cohn, Gastón Duprat;
Australia, Tanna, Bentley Dean, Martin Butler;
Austria, Stefan Zweig: Farewell To Europe, Maria Schrader;
Bangladesh, The Unnamed, Tauquir Ahmed;
Belgium, The Ardennes, Robin Pront;
Bolivia, Sealed Cargo, Julia Vargas Weise;
Bosnia and Herzegovina, Death In Sarajevo, Danis Tanovic;
Brazil, Little Secret, David Schurmann.
Bulgaria, Losers, [link...
- 10/11/2016
- by jeremykay67@gmail.com (Jeremy Kay)
- ScreenDaily
The International Film Festival of Panama offers audiences the chance to vote for their favorite films.
The audience at the Panama Film Festival is very engaged, interested and enthusiastic. The questions during the Q&A are unique. Not once did I hear that old chestnut, ”What was the budget of the film?” They care about the subject, the characters and the filmmakers themselves and often add to-the-point personal comments rather than simply ask questions.
The multiplex Cineopolis is in the largest, most upscale mall I have ever seen. The four screening rooms given over to the festival all week long were frequently sold out. Lines went around the corner at the stand-alone 1,000-seat Teatro Balboa where the red carpet events were held. Built by the Panama Canal Company in 1950 to provide entertainment to the residents of so-called Canal Zone of Panama City (only Americans, no Panamanians), this theater is proof that Panama’s movie culture is not old. In fact, Panama as a nation is not old. With the backing of the United States, Panama seceded from Colombia in 1903, allowing the Panama Canal to be built by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers between 1904 and 1914. In 1977, the Torrijos-Carter Treaty was signed for the total transfer of the Canal from the United States to Panama by the end of the 20th century, which culminated on 31 December 31, 2000.
People here definitely have the movie going bug and they supported the grand total of six Panamanian films in the festival, two of which won the Audience Award, one for Best Central American Film and the other for Best Documentary.
It is not surprising that the winner of the People's Choice Copa Airlines Award for Best Latin American Fiction Film was the debuting Venezuelan feature, “From Afar”/ “Desde Allá” from Venezuelan writer-director Lorenzo Vigas. Set in Caracas’ chaotic lower class communities. Vigas’ turbulent story reveals the complex bond between two men worlds apart.
This Venezuelan-Mexican coproduction premiered at the Venice Film Festival 2015 where it won the Golden Lion for Best Film. It went on to play at Tiff 2015. Celluloid Dreams has sold it extensively to U.S. (Strand), Austria (Filmladen), Brazil (Imovision), Czech Republic (Film Europe), Denmark (Reel Pictures), Germany (Weltkino), Greece (Seven Films), Mexico (Canibal), Spain (Caramel), Switzerland (Filmcoopi) and Taiwan (Cineplex).
More interesting is the fact that the two other Peoples Choice Awards went to Panamanian films.
The People's Choice MasterCard Award for Best Film from Central America and the Caribbean went to the 100% Panamanian fiction feature, ”Salsipuedes”, about a young boy who is sent to the United States to be kept away from the bad influence of his father, a boxer. When he returns ten years later for his beloved grandfather’s funeral, he meets his criminal father and becomes ensnared in his troubled legacy.
This was the feature directorial debut of Ricardo Aguilar Navarro and Manolito Rodríguez and of the producer Sixta Diaz C. whom I interviewed here:
Sl: What were you doing before you made this debut feature?
Sixta: My husband Ricardo and Manolito are not inexperienced in the audiovisual world. Ricardo Aguilar Navarro is a Panamanian filmmaker who used to work as Production Manager for one of the principal TV stations in Panama, Medcom. During that time he also produced major events in Panama and produced the television series “Vivimos un secreto” and the Teleplay ¨Marea Roja”.
Nowadays he runs the Audio Visual Department of the Panama Canal Authority producing videos, documentaries and educational movies for different publics and for the TV channel of the Panama Canal.
On the other side, my production expertise comes from my Industrial Engineering background and from a diversity of projects in which I´ve participated and sometimes led during my career at the Panama Canal. But what helped me the most to understand what I was supposed to do as the “Salsipuedes” Executive Producer was my experience as Electrical Supervisor at one of the Locks of the Panama Canal. It was there where I learned to work well and quickly, under pressure, making good use of the resources and to understand the importance of planning and teamwork. There, I learned to work with passion and to give myself completely to achieve the objectives. Everything I learned through my career in the Panama Canal I put into practice with the film and at the end I am very proud of my contribution.
Manolito (Manuel Rodríguez): I am a Cuban filmmaker. I studied theater at the Instituto Superior de Arte de la Habana (Isa) and film at the International School of Film and Television in San Antonio de los Baños (Eictv).
I have written many screenplays. Many were coproductions with other countries.I wrote “Viva Cuba”, “Calle de la Muerte” in Brazil, “El Ultimo Comandante” and “Panama Canal Stories”. .Director and writer of short fiction “Ah, la Primavera”. Best Film Award of the V Festival of Young Cinema of Havana, 1991. -Prize best unpublished script in the Xvii Festival of New Latin American Cinema, Havana, for “Cerrado por Reformas”, 1994.
Writer of “Madagascar”, Fernando Perez. Fiction. 1994. Best Latin American film at the Sundance Film Festival. Caligari Award Berlin International Film Festival. Grand Prix Film Festival, Fribourg, Switzerland. Grand Prix Film Festival Troia, Portugal. Special Jury Prize at the XVI Festival of New Latin American Cinema, Havana .. Award of the Union of Film Circles. Special Mention of the Fipresci and mention (ex aequo) of the Ocic. Caracol screenwriting award from Uneac.
Co-screenwriter ”Killing Cat”, screenwriting finalist at the Sundance Institute, 1996.
Writer of “Nada”, feature film by Juan Carlos Cremata. 2001. Selected for the Directors' Fortnight, International Cannes Film Festival, France. Nominated for Goya Award of the Academy of Arts and Sciences, Spain. Opera Prima Coral Prize (ex aequo), Film Critics Award and Award of the Cultural Circle of the Cuban Press, in 23 Latin American Film Festival. Caracol screenwriting award from Uneac. Tatu Opera Prima Award Iberoamerican Film Festival, Santa Cruz, Bolivia. Awards Vesuvius, Naples, Italy. Award Prison Key Award, Huelva, Spain. Best Film, Festival of San Juan, Puerto Rico.
“Nights of Constantinople”, feature film by Orlando Rojas. 2001 Audience Award, Latino Film Festival New York, United States.
Read more about “Panama Canal Stories”.
Manolito explained that his connection with Ricardo is extremely open and good. They are more than friends, they are brothers, like the Taviani Brothers. Their ideas are intertwined and each of them respects the other`s decision. They imposed a method of realization wherein Ricardo cared more about the image display and Manolito about the performance with alternate interventions from one and other in complete harmony.
Sl: What was the origin of “Salsipuedes”?
It started as a TV series idea when Ricardo was the Production Manager at the TV station. We spoke with the Panamanian actor Rubén Blades to make a tv series in 30 episodes about "Maestra Vida", the song he is known for singing.
Time went by and then we changed the idea to a story of three generations in the barrio which is like the one Blades also lived in and sings about.
Sl: How did you fund the film?
Sixta: Panama became a member of Ibermedia in 2007-2008 and this movie was submitted and won the project development funds. It was also a winner in the first contest held for funds from the newly established Panama Film Fund.
We are very happy to be among the pioneers of the Panama film industry and have made the movie for Panamanians to identify with as there have never been role models in films for them previously.
Ricardo: Panama has a theater culture. It does not have a culture of cinema. It was not easy to find a lot of trained movie crew members in Panama, like set designers, costumers, DPs, casting directors, etc. But we were fortunate to find them and work with a very good crew that did their best to make "Salsipuedes" a great movie.
Sl: How did you find your cast?
Casting was big for Panama. We looked at more than 400 people.
We used Alina Rodriguez, a Cuban actress, to assist in casting and to coach the actors. She worked with the children and also acted as the neighbor of the grandfather who was played by the internationally known Panamanian actor Lucho Gotti.
Alina liked the father, Jaime Newball.
When looking for the main character Andrés, Elmis Castillo, we hired a young actor that has been working as a tv comedian and is just beginning his acting career. He had the look we were seeking, not black or white, but a real Panamanian mix. This is his first important role.
Sixta and Alina went to some schools in the neighborhood and found three of the boys that performed like experienced actors. Also cast the little girl and the drummer who cried…he even cried in the audition.
Other actors were selected because we had seen them in roles before.
Sl: Was this a big production for Panama?
Casting was big.
And we shot in more than 40 locations, also a lot for Panama.
It was a five week shoot, going from 5 am to 7 or 8 pm every day. We were lucky it did not rain much. In pre-production we had lots of storyboarding and planning of scenes with the Dp, in order to accomplish our plans.
Sl: What about distribution?
We have distribution in Panama. The film will go out in 20 theaters.
Sl: And international sales?
We have been speaking with one sales agent and were approached by another. We’ll be in Cannes screening the film for international sales in May 17th, Gray 3 room at 12:00.
Sl: What other plans do you have for future films?
We plan to make a documentary stemming from our involvement with the Danilo Pérez Foundation and the children this foundation is working with. Danilo Pérez, the Panamanian Grammy Award winning pianist is currently Artistic Director at the Berklee Global Jazz Institute and founded the Danilo Pérez Foundation’s to give young musicians opportunities and future, and also to train youth from the impacted and underserved barrios of Panama. His goal is that most of these musicians attend the Berklee School of Music. The students then return to Panama and teach the next generation.
We can show you the Foundation as it is just across the Plaza Herrera from the Festival HQ at the American Trade Hall where we are interviewing now and where many guests were staying.
The soundtrack will be by Billy Herron of Berklee School who wrote the score for “Salsipuedes”.
We hope this doc about children and music will be ready by the next festival.
After that we will do a fiction feature again. Of course we have to find the money.
Until then, we will continue to work with the Panama Canal, writing and directing for Canal TV Channel 126 an educational station.
People's Choice Revista K Award for Best Documentary went to ”Time to Love. A Backstage Tale”.
“Time to Love, A Backstage Tale”/ "Es la hora de enamorarse", a documentary directed by Guido Bilbao, is the true story of a group of young actors with Down Syndrome who courageously mount the classic Panamanian play “La Cucarachita Mandinga”, without any previous experience on stage. Many thought it unlikely that they would manage to memorize lines, learn choreography or capture the attention of the public. The artistic process is unveiled as Bilbao shows the intimate world of these young aspiring actors, along with their fears, hopes, and daily struggles.
The red carpet event was a loving and lively event and the audience applauded and laughed and even cried while watching the film. The pride everyone felt truly filled the room.
The audience at the Panama Film Festival is very engaged, interested and enthusiastic. The questions during the Q&A are unique. Not once did I hear that old chestnut, ”What was the budget of the film?” They care about the subject, the characters and the filmmakers themselves and often add to-the-point personal comments rather than simply ask questions.
The multiplex Cineopolis is in the largest, most upscale mall I have ever seen. The four screening rooms given over to the festival all week long were frequently sold out. Lines went around the corner at the stand-alone 1,000-seat Teatro Balboa where the red carpet events were held. Built by the Panama Canal Company in 1950 to provide entertainment to the residents of so-called Canal Zone of Panama City (only Americans, no Panamanians), this theater is proof that Panama’s movie culture is not old. In fact, Panama as a nation is not old. With the backing of the United States, Panama seceded from Colombia in 1903, allowing the Panama Canal to be built by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers between 1904 and 1914. In 1977, the Torrijos-Carter Treaty was signed for the total transfer of the Canal from the United States to Panama by the end of the 20th century, which culminated on 31 December 31, 2000.
People here definitely have the movie going bug and they supported the grand total of six Panamanian films in the festival, two of which won the Audience Award, one for Best Central American Film and the other for Best Documentary.
It is not surprising that the winner of the People's Choice Copa Airlines Award for Best Latin American Fiction Film was the debuting Venezuelan feature, “From Afar”/ “Desde Allá” from Venezuelan writer-director Lorenzo Vigas. Set in Caracas’ chaotic lower class communities. Vigas’ turbulent story reveals the complex bond between two men worlds apart.
This Venezuelan-Mexican coproduction premiered at the Venice Film Festival 2015 where it won the Golden Lion for Best Film. It went on to play at Tiff 2015. Celluloid Dreams has sold it extensively to U.S. (Strand), Austria (Filmladen), Brazil (Imovision), Czech Republic (Film Europe), Denmark (Reel Pictures), Germany (Weltkino), Greece (Seven Films), Mexico (Canibal), Spain (Caramel), Switzerland (Filmcoopi) and Taiwan (Cineplex).
More interesting is the fact that the two other Peoples Choice Awards went to Panamanian films.
The People's Choice MasterCard Award for Best Film from Central America and the Caribbean went to the 100% Panamanian fiction feature, ”Salsipuedes”, about a young boy who is sent to the United States to be kept away from the bad influence of his father, a boxer. When he returns ten years later for his beloved grandfather’s funeral, he meets his criminal father and becomes ensnared in his troubled legacy.
This was the feature directorial debut of Ricardo Aguilar Navarro and Manolito Rodríguez and of the producer Sixta Diaz C. whom I interviewed here:
Sl: What were you doing before you made this debut feature?
Sixta: My husband Ricardo and Manolito are not inexperienced in the audiovisual world. Ricardo Aguilar Navarro is a Panamanian filmmaker who used to work as Production Manager for one of the principal TV stations in Panama, Medcom. During that time he also produced major events in Panama and produced the television series “Vivimos un secreto” and the Teleplay ¨Marea Roja”.
Nowadays he runs the Audio Visual Department of the Panama Canal Authority producing videos, documentaries and educational movies for different publics and for the TV channel of the Panama Canal.
On the other side, my production expertise comes from my Industrial Engineering background and from a diversity of projects in which I´ve participated and sometimes led during my career at the Panama Canal. But what helped me the most to understand what I was supposed to do as the “Salsipuedes” Executive Producer was my experience as Electrical Supervisor at one of the Locks of the Panama Canal. It was there where I learned to work well and quickly, under pressure, making good use of the resources and to understand the importance of planning and teamwork. There, I learned to work with passion and to give myself completely to achieve the objectives. Everything I learned through my career in the Panama Canal I put into practice with the film and at the end I am very proud of my contribution.
Manolito (Manuel Rodríguez): I am a Cuban filmmaker. I studied theater at the Instituto Superior de Arte de la Habana (Isa) and film at the International School of Film and Television in San Antonio de los Baños (Eictv).
I have written many screenplays. Many were coproductions with other countries.I wrote “Viva Cuba”, “Calle de la Muerte” in Brazil, “El Ultimo Comandante” and “Panama Canal Stories”. .Director and writer of short fiction “Ah, la Primavera”. Best Film Award of the V Festival of Young Cinema of Havana, 1991. -Prize best unpublished script in the Xvii Festival of New Latin American Cinema, Havana, for “Cerrado por Reformas”, 1994.
Writer of “Madagascar”, Fernando Perez. Fiction. 1994. Best Latin American film at the Sundance Film Festival. Caligari Award Berlin International Film Festival. Grand Prix Film Festival, Fribourg, Switzerland. Grand Prix Film Festival Troia, Portugal. Special Jury Prize at the XVI Festival of New Latin American Cinema, Havana .. Award of the Union of Film Circles. Special Mention of the Fipresci and mention (ex aequo) of the Ocic. Caracol screenwriting award from Uneac.
Co-screenwriter ”Killing Cat”, screenwriting finalist at the Sundance Institute, 1996.
Writer of “Nada”, feature film by Juan Carlos Cremata. 2001. Selected for the Directors' Fortnight, International Cannes Film Festival, France. Nominated for Goya Award of the Academy of Arts and Sciences, Spain. Opera Prima Coral Prize (ex aequo), Film Critics Award and Award of the Cultural Circle of the Cuban Press, in 23 Latin American Film Festival. Caracol screenwriting award from Uneac. Tatu Opera Prima Award Iberoamerican Film Festival, Santa Cruz, Bolivia. Awards Vesuvius, Naples, Italy. Award Prison Key Award, Huelva, Spain. Best Film, Festival of San Juan, Puerto Rico.
“Nights of Constantinople”, feature film by Orlando Rojas. 2001 Audience Award, Latino Film Festival New York, United States.
Read more about “Panama Canal Stories”.
Manolito explained that his connection with Ricardo is extremely open and good. They are more than friends, they are brothers, like the Taviani Brothers. Their ideas are intertwined and each of them respects the other`s decision. They imposed a method of realization wherein Ricardo cared more about the image display and Manolito about the performance with alternate interventions from one and other in complete harmony.
Sl: What was the origin of “Salsipuedes”?
It started as a TV series idea when Ricardo was the Production Manager at the TV station. We spoke with the Panamanian actor Rubén Blades to make a tv series in 30 episodes about "Maestra Vida", the song he is known for singing.
Time went by and then we changed the idea to a story of three generations in the barrio which is like the one Blades also lived in and sings about.
Sl: How did you fund the film?
Sixta: Panama became a member of Ibermedia in 2007-2008 and this movie was submitted and won the project development funds. It was also a winner in the first contest held for funds from the newly established Panama Film Fund.
We are very happy to be among the pioneers of the Panama film industry and have made the movie for Panamanians to identify with as there have never been role models in films for them previously.
Ricardo: Panama has a theater culture. It does not have a culture of cinema. It was not easy to find a lot of trained movie crew members in Panama, like set designers, costumers, DPs, casting directors, etc. But we were fortunate to find them and work with a very good crew that did their best to make "Salsipuedes" a great movie.
Sl: How did you find your cast?
Casting was big for Panama. We looked at more than 400 people.
We used Alina Rodriguez, a Cuban actress, to assist in casting and to coach the actors. She worked with the children and also acted as the neighbor of the grandfather who was played by the internationally known Panamanian actor Lucho Gotti.
Alina liked the father, Jaime Newball.
When looking for the main character Andrés, Elmis Castillo, we hired a young actor that has been working as a tv comedian and is just beginning his acting career. He had the look we were seeking, not black or white, but a real Panamanian mix. This is his first important role.
Sixta and Alina went to some schools in the neighborhood and found three of the boys that performed like experienced actors. Also cast the little girl and the drummer who cried…he even cried in the audition.
Other actors were selected because we had seen them in roles before.
Sl: Was this a big production for Panama?
Casting was big.
And we shot in more than 40 locations, also a lot for Panama.
It was a five week shoot, going from 5 am to 7 or 8 pm every day. We were lucky it did not rain much. In pre-production we had lots of storyboarding and planning of scenes with the Dp, in order to accomplish our plans.
Sl: What about distribution?
We have distribution in Panama. The film will go out in 20 theaters.
Sl: And international sales?
We have been speaking with one sales agent and were approached by another. We’ll be in Cannes screening the film for international sales in May 17th, Gray 3 room at 12:00.
Sl: What other plans do you have for future films?
We plan to make a documentary stemming from our involvement with the Danilo Pérez Foundation and the children this foundation is working with. Danilo Pérez, the Panamanian Grammy Award winning pianist is currently Artistic Director at the Berklee Global Jazz Institute and founded the Danilo Pérez Foundation’s to give young musicians opportunities and future, and also to train youth from the impacted and underserved barrios of Panama. His goal is that most of these musicians attend the Berklee School of Music. The students then return to Panama and teach the next generation.
We can show you the Foundation as it is just across the Plaza Herrera from the Festival HQ at the American Trade Hall where we are interviewing now and where many guests were staying.
The soundtrack will be by Billy Herron of Berklee School who wrote the score for “Salsipuedes”.
We hope this doc about children and music will be ready by the next festival.
After that we will do a fiction feature again. Of course we have to find the money.
Until then, we will continue to work with the Panama Canal, writing and directing for Canal TV Channel 126 an educational station.
People's Choice Revista K Award for Best Documentary went to ”Time to Love. A Backstage Tale”.
“Time to Love, A Backstage Tale”/ "Es la hora de enamorarse", a documentary directed by Guido Bilbao, is the true story of a group of young actors with Down Syndrome who courageously mount the classic Panamanian play “La Cucarachita Mandinga”, without any previous experience on stage. Many thought it unlikely that they would manage to memorize lines, learn choreography or capture the attention of the public. The artistic process is unveiled as Bilbao shows the intimate world of these young aspiring actors, along with their fears, hopes, and daily struggles.
The red carpet event was a loving and lively event and the audience applauded and laughed and even cried while watching the film. The pride everyone felt truly filled the room.
- 4/22/2016
- by Sydney Levine
- Sydney's Buzz
An exponential surge in the quantity and quality of films is continuing to come out of Latin America. (Hence my urge to write two books on the subject, the next to come out this fall.)
Mexico's output of 140 films, the highest in its glorious if erratic film history, has been accompanied by an explosion of the number of top ranking directors (Alejandro G. Iñárritu, Alfonso Cuarón,Guillermo del Toro), DOPs (Emmanuel Lubezki), actors (Eugenio Derbez, Gael García Bernal), producers, below the line, etc; major blockbusters (“Instructions Not Included”, “The Noble Family”), and festivals in every state of The United States of Mexico from Chiapas, Morelia, Cuernavaca, Oaxaca, Baja, Guadalajara, Puerta Vallarta, Acapulco, etc. What a way to see Mexico through its films and film festivals! USA's partnership in the cross-border cultural achievements of Mexico unites our two countries in culture, a great alliance which benefits us perhaps more than it does them...but that is another article.
Argentina continues, in spite of its erratic politics and economy, to keep its production steady as it always has and continues export the largest number of arthouse cinema of Latin America, Daniel Burman’s "The Tenth Man" being its latest, with Kino Lorber picking it up for U.S. and Canada. Argentina's Latam market, Ventana Sur, in partnership with the Cannes Marché, is the strongest and best market of Latin America for Latino films.
Colombia's systematic, steady work at creating a film culture is paying off in a tremendous outflow of award winning arthouse, indigenous (Ciro Guerra's "Embrace of the Serpent" whose Isa Films Boutique sold to Oscilloscope for U.S., Interior 13 Cine for Mexico, Alfa Films for Argentina, Diaphana Films for France, Mfa Filmdistribution for Germany, Magyarhangya for Hungary, Peccadillo Pictures for U.K.,trigon-film for Switzerland, Natlys for Denmark, Diaphana for France, Alambique for Portugal) , Afro-diaspora ("La Playa DC" whose Isa Cineplex sold it for U.S. to Artmattan Productions, Canada to K Films Amerique, Colombia to Cineplex, France to Jour2fete; and "La Sirga" which Cineplex licensed to Film Movement for U.S., for Colombia to Cineplex, France to Zootrope Films ) and genre films.
Tiny Uruguay has strong films by doubly strong producers like Mariana Secco whose strength at carving out a niche equals the work of Wonder Woman. Guatamala, Paraguay, Peru and Cuba are showing the world their undeniable accomplishments as well.
Central America, long denied its own voice -- first because United States and United Fruit created banana republics out of them, then by the trade in drugs and now by exporting gang members to their parents' countries – all of which has resulted in creating nations of violence and poverty -- is now experiencing the thrill of creating sustainable film economies.
Will Costa Rica prevail? To its advantage, it has not been a part of the violent cycle of drugs and gangs) and its stability and economy are able to sustain growth if the government creates cinema laws to help it along. The film writer María Lourdes Cortés from Costa Rica is the most articulate advocate of Central American Cinema and has established Cinergia, Central America's only homemade film promotion, training, dissemination and funding organ. The astoundingly prolific young producer, Marcela Esquivel, whose "Red Princesses" brought Costa Rica to the world's attention as two frontrunners in Costa Rica's race is another promient voice from Costa Rica. Esquivel's Cuban-Costa Rican coproduction “August”/ "Agosto" (Isa: FiGa) was nurtured by Cannes's Fabrique des Cinemas du Monde and was recently in Ficg’s Coproduction Market along with her project “The Ballroom”/ “El Baile y el salon” about to start production.
Or will Panama prevail? Its Canal has just doubled in size and is a center for international trade to such a degree that China itself is challenging it by tearing up the rain forest of Nicaragua in order to build its own canal.
Panama, with its eye on taking a lead as the internet hub for Latin America, Panama whose Canal creates a Cuba-u.S.-China triangle for trade, Panama whose close history with U.S., its same time zone location with U.S., its direct flights to U.S., its central position for Israeli businesses fleeing the instability of the Mid East, Panama may well come out ahead of Costa Rica. Yes, well there are also the "Panama Papers" whose discovery has come since I first wrote this article. But I don't think this latest revelation of the wealthiest and greediest 1% will put a stop to Panama's growth. These are the two horses I am putting my money on.
I am now at the 5th Panama Film Festival, long headed by the much acclaimed Pituka Ortega-Heilbron and headed on the programming and industry fronts by the Toronto Ff vet Diana Sanchez. Covering it in all its diversity to see if it furthers the odds against the Costa Rica International Film Festival has not been disappointing. Also here is the longtime Costa Rica advisor, 20-year Sundance Film Festival industry vet, Nicole Guillemet. Criff is now, reportedly finally being stabilized by the installation of a permanent producer also attending Iff Panama.
Panama is also premiering six of its own films. Comprised of three documentaries and three fiction films, this year’s Panamanian pictures portray the constant struggle of minorities, problematic life in the city, the search for one’s identity, and unresolved past events, exploring numerous socio-cultural issues living in the isthmus of Panama. Comedy will not be missed.
“Salsipuedes”, co-directed by Ricardo Aguilar and Manolito Rodríguez is about Andrés Pimienta, a young neighborhood boy from Panama who is sent to the United States to remain as far away as possible from his troubled homeland and his father Boby, a boxing ex-champion now serving time in prison. Andrés returns to Panama ten years later to attend his grandfather’s burial, where he meets again with Boby-- a reunion that transforms Andres’ destiny.
“Time to Love, A Backstage Tale”/ "Es la hora de enamorarse", a documentary directed by Guido Bilbao, is the true story of a group of young actors with Down Syndrome who courageously mount the classic Panamanian play La Cucarachita Mandinga, without any previous experience on stage. Many thought it unlikely that they would manage to memorize lines, learn choreography or capture the attention of the public. The artistic process is unveiled as Bilbao shows the intimate world of these young aspiring actors, along with their fears, hopes, and daily struggles.
“Drifting Away”/ "A la deriva", a documentary film directed by Miguel I. González is an expose of the healthcare system in Panama in 2006 when it mistakenly created and distributed over 200,000 jars of a common flu remedy, made of a substance named diethylene glycol used in the automotive industry. This caused the mass poisoning of patients, mostly resulting in permanent illness or even death. This notorious case involved companies in China, Spain and Panama. Highlighted are the lives of Iris, Milagros, and Briseida, three women who were severely affected by the poison, both physically and emotionally telling stories of their inner conflicts, as well as their patience, desperation, solitude, and their yearning to be healthy again.
“The Route”/ "La ruta" is Pituka Ortega-Heilbron’s new documentary.
Every morning from Monday to Saturday Severino González, a construction worker, wakes up at 3:30 A.M. to take the bus to work. For most Panamanians, buses are their only option to get to work and sustain a city that grows so recklessly. Yet these buses are like time bombs, its passengers well-aware of its danger but ignorant of its countdown. Every month people die or get hurt, and Severino knows this, but he has no other choice as he will show us through his everyday bus route and his life. This is the portrait of a nation that claims it is becoming a first world country but lacks the basic resources to live up to it.
“The Check”/ "El cheque" is Arturo Montenegro’s first feature film. It is a Panamanian comedy taking place in the midst of the chaos that haunts the Vinda household. A wild and vigilant vegetarian spirit with massive eyes carrying the name of Dominga changes their lives in unimaginable ways. In her stay with the Vindas, Dominga’s fuss and madness becomes the joy and fervor of the family, except with the household’s spoiled dog, Claudia, who’s the only one aware of Dominga’s secret. Everything seems to work fine until a check raises a debate about identity, happiness, trust and the great beyond.
“Kenke”, directed by Enrique Pérez Him, concerns a professional and successful young man, Josué who accepts the family challenge to help his cousin Kenny get away from marijuana. Unbeknownst to the rest of his family, he too shares this vice. Together Josué and Kenny face a society ruled by double standards and other addictions.
Even if only one of these films is directed by a woman, and that woman is the festival’s own director, it is still noticeable that in all this exciting activity of festivals and countries growing culturally, that women are in the majority taking the lead in innovating and establishing these cultural outposts in counties that have been brought to their knees formerly by the macho impositions of capitalism in its ugliest forms of colonialism and imperialism.
As a side remark here, we are witnessing similar activitiy in Mena's (Middle East and North Africa) Gulf State of Qatar with the Doha Film Institute’s CEO Fatma Al Remaihi and in the Emirate State of Dubai with its long standing Dubai Film Festival led by Managing Director, Shivani Pandya.
Culture, always the first to go when the men get going using armaments to build wealth, is now finding that with the potential strength of 51% of the world’s population behind it, it just might get the upper hand for the first time in "civilized" society. Also we are witnessing the Lgbt community's creative might also being exercised on the side of culture. This always original, innovative segment of world society helps enormously in crossing the lines drawn in the sand by the white male establishment.
So we will put our eye upon Panama, the next possible contender for The Latin American Prize for Excellence in Cinematic Experience.
Mexico's output of 140 films, the highest in its glorious if erratic film history, has been accompanied by an explosion of the number of top ranking directors (Alejandro G. Iñárritu, Alfonso Cuarón,Guillermo del Toro), DOPs (Emmanuel Lubezki), actors (Eugenio Derbez, Gael García Bernal), producers, below the line, etc; major blockbusters (“Instructions Not Included”, “The Noble Family”), and festivals in every state of The United States of Mexico from Chiapas, Morelia, Cuernavaca, Oaxaca, Baja, Guadalajara, Puerta Vallarta, Acapulco, etc. What a way to see Mexico through its films and film festivals! USA's partnership in the cross-border cultural achievements of Mexico unites our two countries in culture, a great alliance which benefits us perhaps more than it does them...but that is another article.
Argentina continues, in spite of its erratic politics and economy, to keep its production steady as it always has and continues export the largest number of arthouse cinema of Latin America, Daniel Burman’s "The Tenth Man" being its latest, with Kino Lorber picking it up for U.S. and Canada. Argentina's Latam market, Ventana Sur, in partnership with the Cannes Marché, is the strongest and best market of Latin America for Latino films.
Colombia's systematic, steady work at creating a film culture is paying off in a tremendous outflow of award winning arthouse, indigenous (Ciro Guerra's "Embrace of the Serpent" whose Isa Films Boutique sold to Oscilloscope for U.S., Interior 13 Cine for Mexico, Alfa Films for Argentina, Diaphana Films for France, Mfa Filmdistribution for Germany, Magyarhangya for Hungary, Peccadillo Pictures for U.K.,trigon-film for Switzerland, Natlys for Denmark, Diaphana for France, Alambique for Portugal) , Afro-diaspora ("La Playa DC" whose Isa Cineplex sold it for U.S. to Artmattan Productions, Canada to K Films Amerique, Colombia to Cineplex, France to Jour2fete; and "La Sirga" which Cineplex licensed to Film Movement for U.S., for Colombia to Cineplex, France to Zootrope Films ) and genre films.
Tiny Uruguay has strong films by doubly strong producers like Mariana Secco whose strength at carving out a niche equals the work of Wonder Woman. Guatamala, Paraguay, Peru and Cuba are showing the world their undeniable accomplishments as well.
Central America, long denied its own voice -- first because United States and United Fruit created banana republics out of them, then by the trade in drugs and now by exporting gang members to their parents' countries – all of which has resulted in creating nations of violence and poverty -- is now experiencing the thrill of creating sustainable film economies.
Will Costa Rica prevail? To its advantage, it has not been a part of the violent cycle of drugs and gangs) and its stability and economy are able to sustain growth if the government creates cinema laws to help it along. The film writer María Lourdes Cortés from Costa Rica is the most articulate advocate of Central American Cinema and has established Cinergia, Central America's only homemade film promotion, training, dissemination and funding organ. The astoundingly prolific young producer, Marcela Esquivel, whose "Red Princesses" brought Costa Rica to the world's attention as two frontrunners in Costa Rica's race is another promient voice from Costa Rica. Esquivel's Cuban-Costa Rican coproduction “August”/ "Agosto" (Isa: FiGa) was nurtured by Cannes's Fabrique des Cinemas du Monde and was recently in Ficg’s Coproduction Market along with her project “The Ballroom”/ “El Baile y el salon” about to start production.
Or will Panama prevail? Its Canal has just doubled in size and is a center for international trade to such a degree that China itself is challenging it by tearing up the rain forest of Nicaragua in order to build its own canal.
Panama, with its eye on taking a lead as the internet hub for Latin America, Panama whose Canal creates a Cuba-u.S.-China triangle for trade, Panama whose close history with U.S., its same time zone location with U.S., its direct flights to U.S., its central position for Israeli businesses fleeing the instability of the Mid East, Panama may well come out ahead of Costa Rica. Yes, well there are also the "Panama Papers" whose discovery has come since I first wrote this article. But I don't think this latest revelation of the wealthiest and greediest 1% will put a stop to Panama's growth. These are the two horses I am putting my money on.
I am now at the 5th Panama Film Festival, long headed by the much acclaimed Pituka Ortega-Heilbron and headed on the programming and industry fronts by the Toronto Ff vet Diana Sanchez. Covering it in all its diversity to see if it furthers the odds against the Costa Rica International Film Festival has not been disappointing. Also here is the longtime Costa Rica advisor, 20-year Sundance Film Festival industry vet, Nicole Guillemet. Criff is now, reportedly finally being stabilized by the installation of a permanent producer also attending Iff Panama.
Panama is also premiering six of its own films. Comprised of three documentaries and three fiction films, this year’s Panamanian pictures portray the constant struggle of minorities, problematic life in the city, the search for one’s identity, and unresolved past events, exploring numerous socio-cultural issues living in the isthmus of Panama. Comedy will not be missed.
“Salsipuedes”, co-directed by Ricardo Aguilar and Manolito Rodríguez is about Andrés Pimienta, a young neighborhood boy from Panama who is sent to the United States to remain as far away as possible from his troubled homeland and his father Boby, a boxing ex-champion now serving time in prison. Andrés returns to Panama ten years later to attend his grandfather’s burial, where he meets again with Boby-- a reunion that transforms Andres’ destiny.
“Time to Love, A Backstage Tale”/ "Es la hora de enamorarse", a documentary directed by Guido Bilbao, is the true story of a group of young actors with Down Syndrome who courageously mount the classic Panamanian play La Cucarachita Mandinga, without any previous experience on stage. Many thought it unlikely that they would manage to memorize lines, learn choreography or capture the attention of the public. The artistic process is unveiled as Bilbao shows the intimate world of these young aspiring actors, along with their fears, hopes, and daily struggles.
“Drifting Away”/ "A la deriva", a documentary film directed by Miguel I. González is an expose of the healthcare system in Panama in 2006 when it mistakenly created and distributed over 200,000 jars of a common flu remedy, made of a substance named diethylene glycol used in the automotive industry. This caused the mass poisoning of patients, mostly resulting in permanent illness or even death. This notorious case involved companies in China, Spain and Panama. Highlighted are the lives of Iris, Milagros, and Briseida, three women who were severely affected by the poison, both physically and emotionally telling stories of their inner conflicts, as well as their patience, desperation, solitude, and their yearning to be healthy again.
“The Route”/ "La ruta" is Pituka Ortega-Heilbron’s new documentary.
Every morning from Monday to Saturday Severino González, a construction worker, wakes up at 3:30 A.M. to take the bus to work. For most Panamanians, buses are their only option to get to work and sustain a city that grows so recklessly. Yet these buses are like time bombs, its passengers well-aware of its danger but ignorant of its countdown. Every month people die or get hurt, and Severino knows this, but he has no other choice as he will show us through his everyday bus route and his life. This is the portrait of a nation that claims it is becoming a first world country but lacks the basic resources to live up to it.
“The Check”/ "El cheque" is Arturo Montenegro’s first feature film. It is a Panamanian comedy taking place in the midst of the chaos that haunts the Vinda household. A wild and vigilant vegetarian spirit with massive eyes carrying the name of Dominga changes their lives in unimaginable ways. In her stay with the Vindas, Dominga’s fuss and madness becomes the joy and fervor of the family, except with the household’s spoiled dog, Claudia, who’s the only one aware of Dominga’s secret. Everything seems to work fine until a check raises a debate about identity, happiness, trust and the great beyond.
“Kenke”, directed by Enrique Pérez Him, concerns a professional and successful young man, Josué who accepts the family challenge to help his cousin Kenny get away from marijuana. Unbeknownst to the rest of his family, he too shares this vice. Together Josué and Kenny face a society ruled by double standards and other addictions.
Even if only one of these films is directed by a woman, and that woman is the festival’s own director, it is still noticeable that in all this exciting activity of festivals and countries growing culturally, that women are in the majority taking the lead in innovating and establishing these cultural outposts in counties that have been brought to their knees formerly by the macho impositions of capitalism in its ugliest forms of colonialism and imperialism.
As a side remark here, we are witnessing similar activitiy in Mena's (Middle East and North Africa) Gulf State of Qatar with the Doha Film Institute’s CEO Fatma Al Remaihi and in the Emirate State of Dubai with its long standing Dubai Film Festival led by Managing Director, Shivani Pandya.
Culture, always the first to go when the men get going using armaments to build wealth, is now finding that with the potential strength of 51% of the world’s population behind it, it just might get the upper hand for the first time in "civilized" society. Also we are witnessing the Lgbt community's creative might also being exercised on the side of culture. This always original, innovative segment of world society helps enormously in crossing the lines drawn in the sand by the white male establishment.
So we will put our eye upon Panama, the next possible contender for The Latin American Prize for Excellence in Cinematic Experience.
- 3/26/2016
- by Sydney Levine
- Sydney's Buzz
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