From canal to invasion to renewal
It was in 1907 that the first views of Panama were apparently filmed by American operators dispatched to the area. The canal's construction site was one of the main subjects captured by these filmmakers, who filmed with wonder the Culebra cut, as well as the still-under-construction ends of the project. Although these films have not been preserved, you can still find numerous photographs and excerpts with a little digging on the Internet. But beyond these views, captured by foreign filmmakers, it is difficult to establish a true history of Panamanian cinema. A few filmmakers, such as Carlos Luis Nieto, did manage to produce the first films in the country's history. The first feature-length film, a drama entitled Al calor de mi bohío, hit Panamanian screens in 1946, but was not widely emulated. It wasn't until the 1980s that artist and photographer Sandra Eleta, fascinated by the lives of Portobelo's inhabitants, devoted first a series of portraits and then a short film to them, with the help of writer Edgar Soberón Torchia and filmmaker Anselmo Mantovani. Their film, Sirenata en B, tells the story of Panamanian life through the eyes of a bus driver in the 1970s. A poignant short film in which the artist reveals a hitherto little-known side of Panama to the world. It was to inspire a new generation of filmmakers who would gradually carve out a place for themselves on the Central American cinematic landscape. José Macias, Pituka Ortega-Heilbron and, more recently, Ariane Benedetti are just some of the names that are expanding the national filmography. But it was with Abner Benaim, director and producer, that Panamanian cinema really took off beyond the country's borders. Chance (2009), a comedy pitting two domestic servants against the aristocratic family who employs them, became the biggest box-office hit in the country, before flying off to festivals in Chicago, Montreal, Cairo and Havana. Benaim and his production company Apertura Films will also have the privilege of presenting Invasion (2014) a few years later, a documentary about the 1989 American invasion, which will be the first Panamanian film to compete at the Oscars. These two feature-length films are available on video on demand on the production company's website, a great way to discover this cinema before flying to Panama.
Since then, boosted by a more active production and co-production policy, Panamanian cinema has diversified, offering both fiction and documentary, feature-length and short films to suit all tastes. The industry is characterized by a strong representation of female directors, such as Ariane Benedetti, Ana Endara Mislov and Ana Elena Tejera. These filmmakers regularly feature in the region's Spanish-language festivals, contributing to the diversity of contemporary Panamanian production.
Hollywood's tropical garden
Just a few hours by plane from California, Panama has been a regular location for American film shoots since the 1930s. Numerous war films were shot in this decade. In 1940, French-born American filmmaker Jacques Tourneur set foot in Panama to make Phantom Raiders, an investigative thriller about mysterious shipwrecks in the canal. The film will send shivers down your spine, while taking you back to the moods of the filmmaker behind La Féline, one of the classics of the period. A decade later, the horror film Quand la Marabunta gronde (1954), starring Charlton Heston, transports viewers into the fright of an ant attack. Far from a masterpiece, but an interesting trace of the past. What's more, you'll have the opportunity to discover the mysterious landscapes of Barro Colorado Island, located on the waters of Lake Gatún. It's a fascinating place, created from scratch with the formation of the Canal.
It was around the Canal that documentary filmmakers gathered in the second half of the twentieth century, particularly in the 1970s. Frederick Wiseman, one of the best-known documentary filmmakers of the twentieth century, directed Canal Zone (1977). As usual, Wiseman's approach to cinema is based on reality, without artifice or voice-overs. What interests him are the human beings who populate this region, Panamanians and Americans alike, and the shortcomings that control of the canal brings to the country. This is a powerful film, with its telling silence and powerful images. At the same time, actor David Attenborough took an interest in Panama's flora and fauna in his documentary series Life on Earth (1979).
More recently, the country was given pride of place in The Tailor of Panama (2001). The impressive cast includes Pierce Brosnan, Geoffrey Rush, Jamie Lee Curtis and Brendan Gleeson. This spy thriller, adapted from John Le Carré's novel of the same name, is also the very first film to feature young actor Daniel Radcliffe, just before the release of Harry Potter. You'll find the film's settings around the bend in an alley in Panama City, but also on the shores of Lake Gatún and in the town of Gamboa. More of a series fan? Then bask on the paradisiacal beaches of San Blas Island, just like the characters in La Casa de Papel at the start of season 2. Since the turn of the century, Panama has been attracting more and more film shoots, from James Bond to superhero movies like Suicide Squad, thanks to a revitalized film policy.
A cinema landscape in the throes of renewal
As we mentioned earlier, the dynamism of contemporary Panamanian cinema is well established. Today, the country's cinephiles can take advantage of numerous modern cinemas, both in Panama City and in the country's other cities. And every year, the IFF Panamá is the place to be for previews of numerous national and international films. If you're a cinema lover, don't hesitate to plan your trip accordingly!
