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Panamanian Félix “Trillo” Guardia’s debut feature documentary “The Sorcerer: Julio Zachrisson” (“El Brujo”), which had its world premiere at IFF Panama, snagged the festival’s prestigious audience award, beating high profile contenders that included Berlinale winner “Pepe,” Mexico’s “Sujo” and Venice winner “Kill the Jockey.”
Produced by Tomás Cortés of Cine Animal and supported by Panama’s Ministry of Culture, the film weaves animation, archival footage and interviews to trace Guardia’s personal journey, fueled by his childhood memories of provocative Panamanian artist Julio Zachrisson’s odd yet captivating artworks.
News also broke during the festival that Dominican Johanné Gómez’s “Sugar Island,” which competed for the audience award, had all North American rights sold to ArtMattan Prods. by its sales agent, Patra Spanou. Gómez’s award-winning feature debut, a docu-fiction hybrid, revolves around Makenya, a Dominican-Haitian teen from a shantytown for sugarcane workers, whose unplanned pregnancy forces her to face adulthood.
Expressing his gratitude to IFF Panama and its audience for the honor, Guardia said: “Receiving the Audience Award is a dream come true for our entire team.”
“As I gazed upon the faces in the crowd, I confirmed what I knew to be true in my heart: following one’s calling—no matter how insane it might seem—is the path to creating something that truly connects. To me, that is the greatest reward a filmmaker, or any artist, can receive,” he told Variety, adding: “As a Latin American and Panamanian, I firmly believe our stories—rich, raw, and urgent—deserve to be heard and preserved. Art has the power to build bridges and defy time.”
“We dedicate this award to the memory of Julio Zachrisson—our friend, mentor, and an extraordinary artist. We hope ‘El Brujo’ continues to travel, touch hearts, and bring audiences closer to the powerful legacy of this remarkable human being,” he continued.
The festival’s industry section also doled out much anticipated cash awards on closing night April 6, which included new cash prizes to Panamanian projects by the country’s National Film Institute, DICINE, under the auspices of the Ministry of Culture.
Vice Minister of Culture Arianne Benedetti, who is spearheading new initiatives for local cinema, came on stage to present a certificate for $5,000 to Martin Proaño for his mystery drama “Cabeza de ratón,” which competed in the Primera Mirada (First Look) section.
Panama’s Xochil Vergara, whose mother-daughter drama in post “Nosotras las niñas” competed in the female-targeted Su Mirada (Her Look) section, took home $5,000 while Mariel García Spooner won $3,000 for her film in development, “Alma,” also in Su Mirada.
“We’re coming forward with a lot of initiatives, with a new law and a stronger, more empowered industry—not only for foreigners coming to Panama but, most importantly, for Panamanian productions. We’re betting on success,” said Benedetti.
The Primera Mirada jury, led by Oscar-nominated filmmaker Gregory Nava (“El Norte,” “Selena”), selected “Nosotros,” the feature debut of Guatemalan Joaquin Ruano. Drama centers on a bored tuk-tuk driver who leaves his family in the highlands to work in the city. There he works as a security guard and meets Nubia, an older trans woman. Their impossible relationship leads to his death and Nubia is now faced with the ordeal of returning the body of the man she loved to his abandoned wife and child.
Alejandro Alonso of Cuba won the secondary Primera Mirada prize for his debut feature, “Bahia Honda,” which centers on Pitufo, a young Cuban who dreams of escaping the remote bay where he spends his days dismantling ships amidst fire and cutting metal. In search of freedom, he ventures into the ship graveyard where his plans begin to take shape.
Women filmmakers from the Dominican Republic, which contributed the most projects to the festival’s industry sections, snagged awards in both the development and post-production categories of Su Mirada.
These were documentaries “Yubarta” by Nayibe Tavares-Abel in the development category and “Niñas escarlata” by Paula Cury Melo, in post.
Hailed by the Su Mirada Jury led by film industry strategist Renee Robinson for “linking migration and the cyclical pursuit of a better future and using the poetic symbolism of the migratory humpback whale to connect ancestors to hope,” “Yubarta” traces the story of Tavares-Abel’s Palestinian great-grandfather who migrated to the Dominican Republic. Tavares-Abel plans to use stop motion animation to tell the story of her ancestor’s migration ordeal.
“Niñas escarlata” by Paula Cury Melo portrays the intimate stories of women experiencing forced motherhood and clandestine abortion in the Dominican Republic, where abortion remains illegal without exceptions.
The 13th IFF Panama ran April 3-6.
