Panamanian director Abner Benaim has secured the Audience Award at the 14th International Film Festival (IFF) Panama for his investigative documentary, Tropical Paradise, per variety.com.
The festival, which concluded on 12 April, also recognised regional talent through its industry prizes, awarding Costa Rica’s Sofia Quiros and the Dominican Republic’s Jeissy Trompiz for their respective projects in development and post-production.
*Tropical Paradise* marks a personal shift for Benaim, previously shortlisted for an Academy Award for *Plaza Catedral*. The documentary explores the 1994 plane crash that killed his uncle, an event later identified as a terrorist attack. Benaim noted that the award validates the audience’s deep emotional connection to the film’s themes of trauma and healing ahead of its theatrical release in Panama.
In the festival’s industry strands, Sofia Quiros received the post-production prize for her family drama *Silent Birds* within the Su Mirada category for female filmmakers. Jeissy Trompiz earned the Primera Mirada award for his documentary *The Language of Water*, which highlights the global threat of linguistic extinction.
Indigenous narratives served as a focal point for the 2026 edition, with six of the 40 competing films addressing these themes. The festival opened with Augusto Zegarra’s *Runa Simi*, a documentary following efforts to dub *The Lion King* into Quechua. Panamanian director Annie Canavaggio also featured with *In Search of the Rabbit Indian*, exploring the environmental and cultural rights of the Naso people.
Industry sessions included a masterclass by Argentine filmmaker Manuel Abramovich, who discussed his observational documentary *Light Years*, filmed on the set of Lucrecia Martel’s *Zama*. Additionally, former HBO executive Leslie Cohen provided strategic insights on film acquisitions, emphasising the necessity for emotional resonance and professional packaging in a competitive global market.
The 14th IFF Panama served as a critical platform for Latin American cinema, specifically highlighting the intersection of investigative journalism and Indigenous rights. By facilitating dialogue between emerging regional filmmakers and international industry veterans, the festival continues to strengthen Panama’s position as a cultural hub for the Hispanic film industry.
•Featured image: ‘Tropical Paradise’/Tito Herrera
