Bila Burba

In 1975 French Oscar-winning documentary filmmaker Pierre Dominique Gaisseau traveled to Panama to make a film on the indigenous island-dwelling Kuna people. Accompanied by his wife and their daughter, Gaisseau lived with the Kuna for a year, gaining their trust and filming their most intimate ceremonies. He promised to share the resulting film with the community, but that never happened. Fifty years later, the Kunas are still waiting to discover “their” film, now a legend passed down from the elders to the new generation. One day, a hidden copy is found in Paris…While uncovering this fascinating story with humility and warmth, Swiss-Panamanian filmmaker Andrés Peyrot succeeds in capturing a true sense of culture and place. The result is simultaneously a cautionary tale raising questions around how and why documentaries are made and for whom, and a testament to the power of what it means to see yourself on the big screen.

This short film portrays the story of Guani, an albino Gunadule boy who endures constant discrimination for being different. To counter his reality, he invents an imaginary friend, Nuchu, who guides him, and together they build their own universe through games.

Filmmaker Risseth Yangüez Singh explores her family history while helping her grandmother move. Together, they reflect on the history of Panama, the straightening of Afro-textured hair, and the suppression of Black identity.