Hayah International Short Film Festival in Panama 2023

A journey through 15 years of the Hayah International Short Film Festival in Panama is what brings the 2023 edition of this event.

They will go on a trip through the history of the Festival, in an exclusive project for television, in which Panamanian filmmakers, the Festival’s production team and special guests will participate, as well as Panamanian short films from previous editions of Hayah.

Hajj will take place on Monday, December 18 and Tuesday, December 19 on the screens of SERTV at 8:30 p.m

“This is the first time we have managed to introduce the Festival simultaneously throughout the country and this was achieved thanks to the technical and creative support of SERTV,” adds Mariel Garcia Spooner, filmmaker, director and founder of Hayah Festival, produced by Hello October and Fundación Casa del Cine.

The event, founded in 2007, is a cultural event of importance for for the city and for the country, because it enables the promotion of audiovisual content and is consolidated as a fundamental exhibition for the appreciation, promotion and dissemination of Panamanian and international cinematography.

With 15 editions, it was consolidated as Central American Short Film Festival the oldest in the region and is an annual event where new directors and many professionals show their talent.

Also space for dialogue and thinking so that experienced talents and the general public continue to approach the international panorama of the world of short films.

Every year he receives proposals from short films from more than 35 countries.

Hayah has different categories such as: Best Short Feature FilmBest Animated Short Film, Best Documentary Short Film, Video Clip, Panama New Directors Award and Best National Short Film Award.

A network of connections with International film and short film festivals enabled the Hayah Festival to exchange programs, managing to screen more than 50 Panamanian short films in more than 10 international festivals in countries such as Costa Rica, Colombia, Spain, Argentina, Chile, Peru, Cuba, Germany, United States, Great Britain and Mexico.

As well as the talent exchange, which promotes the visits of Panamanian filmmakers to countries such as the United States, the United Kingdom, Colombia and Honduras to present their short films at festivals in those countries, receiving grants from our Festival.

Since 2020, the Festival has innovated a training space at the Festival called Hayah Connect, with which we offer free courses to the entire audience and film community in the country in addition to already known initiatives such as Panama Film Laboratory.