Panama City, April 9, 2026. - With a great program of training and reflection, the Panama International Film Festival (IFF Panama) began its activities at the City of the Arts, taking its theatres with talk and master's sessions aimed at strengthening the audiovisual ecosystem of the country.

One of the most outstanding spaces was the event "Public policies and cinema: how's a sustainable industry been built?" with the participation of the vice-ministers of culture, Arianne Benedetti, and the director of the national film department, Sheila González, under the moderation of film-maker Pituka Ortega Heilbron.

During the meeting, the panelists emphasized the impact of the Cinema Act as a turning point for the development of the Panamanian audiovisual industry, currently with 8 to 12 production a year and an estimated foreign investment of 23 to 24 million dollars. They agreed that Panama has competitive public policies in the region, but still faces challenges with respect to infrastructure to attract great international production.

They also emphasized the importance of strengthening the development of scripts as an essential raw material of the sector as well as the training of young talent, promoting initiatives to connect local histories with global audiences. To this end, an interest was emphasized to attract platforms such as Netflix and Amazon as well as the implementation of new workshops from May to continue to develop skills in the creative sector.

"We have to tell stories that everyone wants to see," Benedetti emphasized, while at the same time highlighting the efforts of the Ministry of Culture to consolidate a sustainable industry, generating jobs, foreign investment and economic growth.

The IFF Panama will conduct from 9 to 12 April, inviting the public to have a varied selection of films. The program includes 7 national productions and 40 films from Latin America, Central America, the Caribbean, Europe, Africa and Asia. Projections will be held at the City of the Arts, the National Theater and the Canal Museum.