---
title: "IFF Panamá closes 14th edition with awards, premieres and a spotlight on regional cinema"
date: 2026-04-13
author: ""
url: https://panamadaily.news/iff-panama-closes-14th-edition-awards/
categories:
  - "Culture"
  - "News"
tags:
  - "Abner Benaim"
  - "documentary"
  - "film festival"
  - "IFF Panama"
  - "Panama City"
  - "Panamanian cinema"
---

# IFF Panamá closes 14th edition with awards, premieres and a spotlight on regional cinema

## Closing Night at the Teatro Nacional

The 14th edition of the International Film Festival of Panama closed with an award ceremony at the Teatro Nacional, bringing together filmmakers, cultural figures and institutional leaders for a night focused on the reach of cinema across Latin America and the Caribbean. The event marked the end of a week that placed Panama at the center of regional film activity.

Guests from Panama and abroad walked the blue carpet presented by Copa Airlines before the closing ceremony began. Among the evening’s featured participants was Sandy Hernández, the lead actress in the closing film, _Milly: Reina del merengue_.

## Recognition for Panamanian and regional projects

Pituka Ortega Heilbron, president of the IFF Panamá Foundation, opened the ceremony with remarks about the festival’s role in building spaces for Latin American cinema. Karla Quintero, executive director of IFF Panamá, also addressed attendees and emphasized the festival’s evolution and its effort to connect stories with new audiences.

The evening highlighted several festival platforms and awards, including Documental Panamá, an initiative developed by Gente TVN Media, the Alberto Motta Foundation and IFF Panamá. The program supports documentary filmmaking tied to community memory and local stories.

In its sixth edition, Documental Panamá selected three winning projects: _El Arrabal_, by Luis Trujillo, Gloria Herrera and Maria Neyla Santamaría; _¡Que suenen los timbales!_, by Jaime Abrahams and Harry Oglivie; and _San Antonio_, by Xochitl Vergara and Omar Calvo.

## Festival platforms that support new voices

The ceremony also recognized projects backed by Su Mirada and Primera Mirada, two IFF Panamá initiatives that support films at different stages of development and postproduction. The Su Mirada Desarrollo award went to Guatemalan filmmaker Laura García Cordón for her documentary project _Torre de Papel_.

In Su Mirada Postproducción, the winning project was _Madre Pájaro_, by Costa Rican director Sofía Quirós Úbeda. Primera Mirada, one of the festival’s signature platforms, awarded Dominican filmmaker Jeissy Trompiz Albornoz for _La Lengua del Agua_.

The night also included the new Best Documentary award, which went to _Put Your Soul on Your Hand and Walk_, by Sepideh Farsi. The recognition underscored the festival’s emphasis on documentary film as a tool for memory, reflection and social understanding.

## Audience prize goes to Abner Benaim

One of the evening’s most visible honors was the Copa Airlines Audience Award for Best Film, presented to Panamanian filmmaker Abner Benaim for _Paraíso Tropical_. The award reflected the film’s strong response among festivalgoers and added a local success to the closing ceremony.

The evening ended with the screening of _Milly: Reina del merengue_, a biographical musical directed by Dominican filmmaker Leticia Tonos. The film follows the life of Milly Quezada, from her migration to New York to her rise as one of the most influential voices in Latin music.

With awards, premieres and a strong regional lineup, the closing night reinforced IFF Panamá’s place in Panama’s cultural calendar and its role in connecting audiences with cinema from across the region.