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.