Film Festival: Call for the Primera Mirada fund

The organizers of the Panama International Film Festival have announced the opening of the competition for the Primera Mirada fund, in its 8th edition.

It is a symbolic project that aims to promote the talent of filmmakers in the region.

Since 2015, this fund has been increasing the opportunities of emerging filmmakers in the region, supporting them in the post-production phase of their film works.

They participated in previous editions more than 34 productions which belongs to filmmakers from Central America and the Caribbean.

Very renowned projects managed to be recognized at festivals world and First Sight is one of the main drivers for this to happen. Some of them are:

– “Panquiaco” directed by Ana Elena Tejera (Panama), which won first place in the 2019 edition and world premiere at the Rotterdam International Film Festival, is the first Panamanian film to participate in this renowned festival.

– “Sunday and the Fog”, directed by Ariel Escalante Meza (Costa Rica), worthy of the 2021 fund and world premiere shown at the Cannes International Film Festival, is also the first Costa Rican and Central American film that is part of one of the sections of the official competition of the aforementioned festival.

– “Kokota”, dir Nelson Carlo de Los Santos Arias (Dominican Republic) creditor of the fund in 2017 and which premiered at the Locarno International Film Festival.

The call, open until September 30, features rising filmmakers from Panama, Central America and the Caribbeaninviting them to present their film projects in order to receive funding in the final stages of their production.

The selection will be made by an expert jury internationals in the film industry, which will evaluate the originality, feasibility and potential impact of the presented projects.