Primera Mirada: IFF Panama’s First Look at Rough Cuts from Central America
Anna Marie de la Fuente Launched in 2015, IFF Panama’s rough-cut sidebar Primera Mirada has proved a vital launch pad for Central American and Caribbean films in post, providing that all-important impetus towards their final completion.A jury led byDiana Sánchez, Marcelo Quesada and Paula Gastaud along with head curators, festival director Pituka Ortega Heilbron and IFF Panama industry head Karla Quintero, selected five projects out of 13 applications this year.Reflecting on the criteria they used to choose the finalists, Ortega Heilbron said: “Aside from quality, we seek new voices that will represent our region. Central America is influenced by U.S.