(EXPERIENCE MAGAZINE) — Los Angeles, CA — Monday, October 21st, 2019 — The Panamanian International Film Festival in Los Angeles (PIFF/LA) presented 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.
Carrasco, who is best known for his work as an actor as Popeye in Blood In Blood Out and Ortiz in Speed, created the Panamanian 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.
A new addition to PANAFEST 2019 was a prestigious judging panel. They joined Carrasco who has been curating content along with Maia De Zan Hatch and Yaniv Waisman, founder of Los Cortos. Waisman returned to PANAFEST 2019 with an exciting display of 360 VR technology, sponsored by Samsung. This allowed audience members to appreciate the work of filmmakers who are engaged in this innovative technique for differential storytelling.
The Experience Magazine was honored to cover the red carpet and looks forward to next year’s Panafest!
