IFF Panama’s Su Mirada Pics Explore Motherhood, Identity and Migration

Motherhood is the central theme in IFF Panama’s Su Mirada – Her Gaze – program, explored through non-traditional lenses, as noted by industry coordinator Cat Caballero. She has observed various perspectives in this year’s selection.

“There are diverse perspectives, from a child’s bond with their mother to a woman’s choice not to be a mother, and another’s struggle with motherhood,” she observes.

According to Caballero, the theme emerged naturally, even among those not selected.

“They approached motherhood not just from a mother’s experience but from other angles of motherhood as a women’s experience. This intrigued me, especially as these perspectives are unconventional,” she adds.

The section is divided into two categories: development and post (WIP). The development category features 15 contenders, with one winning a $5,000 cash prize.

The WIP section, with three finalists selected from 10 submissions, offers a $10,000 prize. Virtual deliberations took place before the festival, and winners will be revealed on April 12, the festival’s closing night.

Thanks to an alliance between IFF Panama and Colombia’s Cartagena Film Festival (FICCI), the WIP prizewinner will journey to Cartagena to further develop their project and connect with potential partners. FICCI occurs from April 14 – 19.

IFF Panama is held from April 9 – 12. 

WIP jurors include Diana Cadavid, a programmer for LALIFF and TIFF; 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.

The film follows an eight-year-old boy dealing with grief and changing family dynamics as he faces his mother’s illness in a rural setting. Produced by Sputnik Films, Murillo Cine, and a broad international consortium, it exemplifies a robust multi-country co-production model. Featuring Oliver Macluf Vargas and Wendy Chinchilla (“Clara Sola”), the project supports the region’s auteur-focused pipeline. Quirós Úbeda describes it as “a reflection on other ways of accompanying childhood through grief, without replacing those who are gone.”

“The Fool and the Moon” (“El Loco y la Luna”), Julia Scrive-Loyer, Dominican Republic, Argentina.

This character-driven feature explores a man’s struggle with 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 Ibermedia’s support, it highlights a growing regional co-production network. The company continues its auteur-driven path with titles like “Pepe,” a Silver Bear winner at Berlinale 2024. Scrive-Loyer calls it “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, and Judith Rodríguez.

 “To the Future” (“Al futuro”), Paz Fábrega, Costa Rica, Uruguay, Spain

Exploring the balance of motherhood, financial pressure, and creative urgency, Fábrega turns the camera on her life in a hybrid of fiction and documentary. Produced by Costa Rica’s Temporal Films with La Mayor Cine (Uruguay) and Edna Cinema (Spain), it builds on the company’s internationally acclaimed slate, including Rotterdam Tiger prizewinner “Agua fría de mar,” “Viaje,” and “Medea.” Co-producer Carla Sospedra describes it as “an intensely personal project where Paz Fábrega not only directs but also appears on-screen with her children, capturing her life with a tender yet realistic approach, resulting in a unique hybrid format that underscores 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, written, directed, and produced by Muñoz Barroso with Leila Montero and Efthymia Zymvragaki, and backed by Estudio ST Producciones Cinematográficas, Gris Medio, and Colectivo de Creación Estudio ST, blends autobiography and sensory exploration of hearing loss, migration, and motherhood. As she faces hearing loss, Muñoz travels from Madrid to Cuba 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.
This feature project examines the legacy of France’s 1960s migration program Bumidom, following Augustine, a woman who returns to Martinique after years in France, as she navigates solitude, memory, and community across generations. Thalien’s previous works include shorts such as “Nos Îles,” recognized at FID Marseille, Go Short, DocsBarcelona, and “Saturne en Été,” winner at the AfroFuturist Femmes Film Festival. Thalien aims to 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.
This docu-fiction hybrid explores 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 poised as a potential multi-country co-production, with Panama involved and European partners in discussions. 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.

“Love in the Time of Bacanería” (“El amor en los tiempos de bacanería”), Patricia Pepén, Dominican Republic.

Set in Santo Domingo, this film follows 17-year-old Zuleika as she navigates romances and a strained relationship with her mother, ultimately 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. It won the Audience Design Award from the World Cinema Fund and is supported by Fonprocine 2025 and SAPCINE. The producers aim to combine authenticity with audience appeal while expanding international co-productions and financing.

“Nana, the Songs of Our Grandmothers” (“Nana, los cantos de nuestras abuelas”), Tamara Espinoza, Nicaragua, Panama.

In advanced development, this documentary follows a 70-year-old Kuna woman who sings to restore spiritual balance while seeking 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.”

“Paper Tower” (“Torre de Papel”), Laura Garcia Cordon, Guatemala.
Set in Guatemala’s courthouse, this feature follows judges, lawyers, guards, detainees, and a mother seeking justice, all navigating a fragile system where time blurs and law becomes 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. She states: “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.”

“Quemada,” Ardelia Istarú, Costa Rica, Panama

Produced by Costa Rica’s Tres Tigres, behind the 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 yet. Blending archive, fiction, and performance, this hybrid documentary explores memory, sexuality, and a mother–daughter relationship. The project is negotiating post-production partnerships in France. Istarú states: “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.”

“Routine Procedure” (“Procedimiento De Rutina”), Kryzz Gautier, Dominican Republic, USA.

This documentary follows five patients left paralyzed by routine surgeries in August 1989, including Clara, whose C-section changed her life. The film tracks her daughter decades later as she investigates this forgotten medical tragedy. Produced by Reclaimed Entertainment, known for bold, character-driven stories across queer, Latina, and disabled narratives, the project combines 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.” The feminist horror project participated in the 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.

Currently in advanced development, this film 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, aiming 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-professional 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.

“The Whisper of the River” (“El susurro del río”), Jessica Guifarro, Honduras.

This feature project explores rootedness and memory through intimate encounters along a river. Produced by Óptica Fílmica, known for its documentary shorts “La Leona” and “La Fuente,” the project is still 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.

This fiction feature centers 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 describes it as a film that “works with defamiliarizing elements and atmospheres that lead us to feel the absurd within seemingly ordinary worlds.”

“Yara’s Light” (“La luz de Yara”), Violena Ampudia, Spain, Cuba

This hybrid documentary, produced by Estudio ST and based in Madrid and Havana, is 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.