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IFF Panama's Su Mirada Program Features Films on Motherhood by Female Directors
The International Film Festival of Panama's Su Mirada – Her Gaze program highlights projects by female directors exploring motherhood from non-traditional perspectives. The program includes 15 development entries and three works-in-progress competing for cash prizes. Winners will be announced on April 12, with the WIP winner advancing to the Cartagena Film Festival.
Apr 8, 5:50 AM·3m read2 sources
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The Su Mirada – Her Gaze section at the International Film Festival of Panama focuses on films by female directors.
Post by @Variety on X
This year's entries address motherhood through varied perspectives, including a child's relationship with their mother, a woman's decision not to become a mother, and challenges faced by mothers. The theme emerged organically among submissions, as noted by industry coordinator Cat Caballero. The program divides into development and works-in-progress (WIP) categories.
Development includes 15 projects, with one winner receiving $5,000. The WIP category has three finalists from 10 submissions, with the winner earning $10,000. Deliberations occurred virtually before the festival, which runs from April 9 to 12.
Winners will be announced on April 12 during the closing night.
films compete in the WIP section.
Jurors include Diana Cadavid, programmer for LALIFF and TIFF; Itzel Martínez, filmmaker and head of Ambulante; and Mariana Núñez, visual artist and vice president of communications and culture at Ciudad del Saber, Panama. "Silent Birds" ("Madre Pájaro"), directed by Sofía Quirós Úbeda from Costa Rica and Argentina, follows an eight-year-old boy dealing with his mother's illness in a rural setting.
The film explores grief and family bonds.
It is produced by Sputnik Films, Murillo Cine, and international partners, with a cast led by Oliver Macluf Vargas and Wendy Chinchilla. " — Sofía Quirós Úbeda (Variety) "The Fool and the Moon" ("El Loco y la Luna"), directed and written by Julia Scrive-Loyer from the Dominican Republic and Argentina, depicts a man confronting grief after his mother's death.
