The Panamanian International Film Festival Presents 5th PANAFEST

The Panamanian International Film Festival in Los Angeles (PIFF/LA) presents PANAFEST 5.

PIFF/LA's non-traditional approach is reflected in the festival's diverse slate of over 50 films from 11 countries, including dynamic features, feature-length docs, shorts, panels and experiences.

PIFF/LA opens October 18th through October 20th at The Downtown Independent Los Angeles located at 251 South Main Street, Los Angeles, California 90012.
piffla.com

"PANAFEST 5 will share the work of a vibrant group of innovative storytellers whose fresh voices and perspectives illuminate things that matter to us all " said PIFFLA's Artistic Director Carlos Carrasco.

Carrasco, who is best known for his work as an actor as Popeye in Blood In Blood Out and Ortiz in Speed, created the Panama International Film Festival in Los Angeles (PIFF/LA) in 2014. Its evolution into PANAFEST, a multi-disciplinary celebration, is a salute to the pan-Latino nature of a diverse community. PIFF/LA is produced in partnership with Los Cortos and New Filmmakers Los Angeles.

"Celebrating our 5th year is a major milestone. Our approach to networking, education, and engaging filmmakers and film audiences, is more important than ever as our stories - all of our stories - are too vibrant not to be told. False narratives have defined our community for far too long. Together, we can bring new voices to new heights " Carrasco said.

Inspiring themes like immigration, profiling, diversity, and identity are brought to life in new ways in films that range from heartwarming comedy, to a technologically sophisticated thriller, to a horror film based on a Panamanian folk tale.

The encore screening of Raúl Juliá: The World's A Stage was also chosen for its inspiring celebration of a man whose talent set the bar for Latinx talent for generations to come. "I got to work with Raúl Juliá on his last film 'The Burning Season', and I was deeply moved by Ben DeJesus' work on telling his story" said Carrasco. The award- winning film is presented in collaboration with Hispanicize, NGL Collective and NGL Studios, producers on the documentary. The highly acclaimed documentary is the first ever done about Raúl Juliá and has premiered across the nation with sold-out screenings in Los Angeles (prompting a second screening at the TCL Chinese Theatre), Miami, New York and Puerto Rico.

A new addition to PANAFEST 2019 is a prestigious judging panel. They join Carrasco who has been curating content along with Maia De Zan Hatch and Yaniv Waisman, founder of Los Cortos. Waisman returns to PANAFEST 2019 with an exciting display of 360 VR technology, sponsored by Samsung. This allows audience members to appreciate the work of filmmakers who are engaged in this innovative technique for dimensional storytelling.

The judging panel includes Juan Escobedo, Juan Agustín Márquez, Angela Ortiz and Sabrina Precario. In addition to official award categories, PANAFEST is known for its innovative recognitions which have included the Yucca, Platano and Gandules Awards for noteworthy filmmaking elements.

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 18, 2019

12:30 p.m. - Film Block 1
Documentaries and Animation: Immigration, School Shootings,

Gentrification

Migrante dir. by Ezequiel Dalinger and Daniel Iezzi (Argentina) 5:38 - Panamanimation
And THE BRAVE Shall Rise dir. by Adam Schlachter (USA) 15:00

There Goes THE NEIGHBORHOOD dir. by Angelique Molina (USA/Panama) 27:00

1:30 p.m. - Industry Panel: "Colorism, Racism and Other Isms in Television & Film: A Panamanian Perspective"
Free Industry Panel - RSVP here. Learn more about the Industry Panels here.

Presented by H Code. Featuring: Carlos Carrasco, Maylin De Leon, Angela Ortiz and Deborah Castillero.

2:30 p.m. - Film Block 2

Documentary, narrated by Baseball Hall of Famer Mariano Rivera
Chico Heron and the Last 42 dir. by Alberto Serra (Panama) 1:10:00

4:00 PM - Film Block 3
Award-winning Feature Film
Turnover dir. by Linda Palmer (USA) 2:00:00

7:00 PM - Red Carpet

8:00 p.m. - Film Block 4 - By Invitation Only*
Raúl Julia: The World's a Stage by Ben DeJesus (USA)

For Official Trailer: CLICK HERE!

(*Not included in Festival Pass or Weekend Pass)

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 19, 2019

12:15 p.m. - Industry Panel: "Demystifying the Workflow of a Line Producer and a UPM"
Free Industry Panel - RSVP here. Learn more about the Industry Panels here.

Presented by Film Gals. Let's explore where the similarities lie and where the roles differ in the production ecosystem.
Featuring: DMA, Gabriela Revilla Lugo, Connie Dolph, Christa BaArini, Lea Walker.

12:30 p.m. - Art & Performances: Pen Clique Pop-Up Poetry Gallery (Free-In Lobby / All Day)
Pen Clique Pop-Up Poetry Gallery is a conceptual pop-up art exhibit that fuses poetry with visual art. Learn more about the 2019 Art & Performances here!

1:30 p.m. - Film Block 5
Two Panamanian Documentaries with a Social Justice Theme
Hope on Pineapples (Piñas de esperanza) dir. by Jorge Cajar (Panama) 30:00

Darién, Vienen o Van dir. by Andrea Victoria Calderón (Panama) 30:00 - Panalandia

2:30 p.m. - Film Block 6

5 Short Films from 4 Countries
Truth in Silence (Nadie nos quita) dir. by Juan Daniel Pinzón (Panama) 5:21
Banalities dir. by Rafael de Andrade (Brazil) 10:00

The Serpent's Skin dir. by Adrian Cruz García (Costa Rica) 25:00

Chronicles: Sol & Javi (Crónicas: Sol y Javi) dir. by Ernesto Gutierrez (Costa Rica) 11:32
Deliver dir. by Ricardo Farias (Cuba) 8:00

3:40 p.m. - Film Block 7

4 Panamanian Short Films

El Uniforme No Se Esconde dir. by Juan Quirós (Panama) 10:00 - Bannabá Fest Arnold dir. by Mona Lisa García (Panama/USA) 20:00 -

Material Extra
Juan Melgar Junín dir. by Sebastian Touma (Panama) 4:39 - Reto Micro Cine by Cine Animal Sundae dir. by Halsam Ortega 24:33 (Panama) - Panama Horror Film Fest

4:50 p.m. - Film Block 8

4 Short Films

Frog Boy (Niño Rana) dir. by Laura Zenobi and Lucas Altmann (Argentina) 15:00
Against THE STREAM (Contracorriente) dir. by Carlos Asse (USA/Mexico) 12:56
A Wish dir. by Agustina Claramonte (Argentina) 18:28
Processing Station dir. by Rodrigo Espinosa (USA) 15:00

6:00 p.m. - Film Block 9
Three Documentaries About Identity & 2 Short Films

Blue Cape (Capa Azul) dir. by Alejandra López (Puerto Rico) 5:00
Chimpanzees (Chimpancés) dir. by Ull Galindez (Argentina) 7:00
Los Riders del Rufina dir. by Elvira Gálvez Límaco, Dara Nicole Ríos, José Daniel Cerdas, Obed Samudio (Peru/Nicaragua/Costa Rica/Panama) 4:30 - Acampadoc
What Are You? dir. by Anayansi Prado (Panama)13:00
Alpharaoh dir. by Lidieth Arevalo (USA) 26:36

7:15 p.m. - Film Block 10
Feature Film directed by Emmy Award Winner Sergio Guerrero

Plus 2 Short Films by Award Winning Filmmakers
Jeremy dir. by Enrique Rico Diaz (USA) 9:10
American Dream, Music Video by Los Rakas, dir. by The Perez Brothers 5:00
Intolerance No More dir. by Sergio Guerrero (Mexico/USA) 1:20:00

9:15 p.m.- Art & Performances: SP!T "Spitting through Movement" Performance
Spoken Word Live Experience. "Spitting through Movement" will be a combined art form collaboration between Alex Alpharaoh and renowned dance choreographer Kaity Martinez. Learn more about the 2019 Art & Performances here.

10:15 p.m. - Film Block 11

U.S. Premier: Panama's first feature length horror film plus documentary about the bus that inspired it
The Art of Devils (El arte de los diablos) dir. by Benjamín Liao (Panama) 15:00
Diablo Rojo/PTY dir. by Sol Moreno (Panama) 1:16:00

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 20, 2019

12:30 p.m. - Art & Performances: Photolab Panama Exhibit (All Day)
Pop-up photo exhibition of award-winning work by Panamanian photographers as part of a partnership with Photolab Panama. Learn more about the 2019 Art & Performances here.

12:30 p.m. - Film Block 12
Award-winning Panamanian Documentary.
Enter the world of a 1970's record store and music of the times.
Panamá Radio dir. by Edgar Soberón (Panama) 1:00:00

1:40 p.m. - Film Block 13
4 Short Films
Hunter dir. by Shashank Varma (USA) 11:39
Wall (Muro) dir. by Alejandro Irias Leiva (Honduras)13:00
In Colors (De Colores) dir. by Stephanie Willis (USA) 15:00
The End (Fin) dir. by Sabrina Macchi (Argentina) 21:57

3:00 p.m. - Film Block 14 - Sunday Funday
7 Short Films with A Sense of Humor
Final Frontier dir. by Stephen Cervantes (USA/Panama) 9:36
Un Polvo dir. by Renzo Arteaga (Panama) 6:00

Bite! dir. by Danny Arroyo (USA) 17:28
Home For Mom dir. by Emiliana Ammirata (Venezuela) 7:39
Four Women Away From Home (Cuatro mujeres lejos de casa) dir. by Pablo Riesgo (Spain) 10:30
The Fur Day dir. by Camille Sloan (Panama/USA) 4:13
Honey, I'm Home dir. by Gabriela Méndez (Panama) 8:00

4:15 p.m.- Film Block 15
3 Shorts And A Feature. Warning: Laughter
Weddings, Inc. dir. by Kalee St. Clair (USA) 3:55
A Period Piece dir. by Sylvia Ray (USA) 5:00
Papi Papilloma dir. by Juan Escobedo (USA) 3:24
Venus de Macho dir. by Danny Hastings (USA/Panama) 1:20:00

6:00 p.m. - Film Block 16

Five Short Films. 100% Female Directors.
Jalisco dir. by Kayden Phoenix (USA) 3:33
To Play With Fire dir. by Gabriela Paciel (USA/Cuba/Mexico) 9:35
The Girl Next Door dir. by Donna Bonilla Wheeler (US/Peru) 19:00
Pozole dir. by Jessica Mendez Siqueiros (USA) 10:00
Control/Option/Escape dir. by Gandja Monteiro (US/Brazil) 18:00

7:15 p.m. - Film Block 17
3 Shorts. 3 Countries. Who's Crying?
Shy & Ketchup dir. by Teresa Romo (Chile) 3:40 - Panamanimation

Alejandro Busca Ayuda dir. by Rafa Leonard (Panama) 5:00
Kid Miguel (Chico Miguel) dir. by Maximiliano Subiela (Argentina) 15:00

8:00 p.m. - Film Block 18
The award-winning, inspiring, family- friendly, feel good documentary
Our Quinceañera dir. by Fanny Véliz (USA) 1:15

9:45 p.m. - Party & Awards

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