MiCultura opens call for Fondo Cine 2020

Panama, 8 September 2020. - The Ministry of Culture, through the General Directorate of the Cinematographic and Audiovisual Industry (DICINE), opened an invitation to all natural or legal persons of Panamanian nationality who are registered with the National Registry of the Cinematographic and Audiovisual Industry to participate in the Fondo Cine 2020 National Competition.

In this respect, Culture Minister Carlos Aguilar Navarro explained that this year, as a result of the world's situation through the pandemic, the competition's bases will suit the realities of virtual environments to more effectively conduct this prestigious contest.

Fondo Cine 2020 will award awards in the production categories of feature or animation, production of documentaries, development of projects and support to feature and documentary projects at the post production stage.

Those interested in participation will be able to download the Fondo Cine competition at the website of the Ministry of Culture (www.MiCultura.gob.pa), from the publication of the call notice, which will be published in two (2) national circulation newspapers, three (3) times each, within a term of fifteen days.

The proposals to be submitted will also have to be submitted to concursocine @ MiCultura.gob.pa at the General Directorate of the Cinematographic and Audiovisual Industry (DICINE) from 8: 00 a.m. on Friday 9 October 2020 to 4: 00 p.m. on Monday 9 November 2020.

Sheila González, director of DICINE, stated that the award of the Fondo Cine National Competition will be held at a virtual ceremony and will be announced during the conduct of the contest.

Likewise, González emphasized that in the category of feature film or animation there will be three awards for feature projects of fiction or animation, with a total of B / .1,800,000.00 distributed among the three contestants that at the discretion of the Jury will be winners.

In this category, the minimum sum to be paid to each winning project will be B / .400,000.00.

For documentaries, 3 awards will be awarded for documentary projects, with a total of B / .300,000.00, where each winner will get an amount of B / .100,000.00 and in project development 3 awards will be awarded for the development of feature and documentary projects, with a total of B / .45,000.00 and each winner will get an amount of B / .15.000.00.

In terms of support for after production of feature and documentaries, there will be three awards for feature projects and after production documentaries with a total of B / .75.000.00 and each winner will have an amount of B / .25.000.00.

The qualifying Jury of the Fondo Cine National Contest will be made up of non-Panamanian professionals, who do not reside in the national territory and will keep his or her identity secret up to the time of deliberation and will select works of film and artistic excellence that will contribute to our cinematography.

The director of DICINE emphasized that if some of the awards have been declared desert, either because projects have been submitted or those submitted have been unable to meet the required requirements, and that they have been paid out under the category, they will pass to Fondo Cine for the development of initiatives that help to boost the local film sector.

The Ministry of Culture shall secure the presence of a public notary attesting to the date of the closure of the call and shall draw up the respective minutes, attesting to the projects they have applied to the Fondo Cine 2020 contest.