Beloved Tropic

Kenneth is a charismatic character whose trade is taking pictures of his neighbours in Curundú. "An almost retired criminal" and also a man with a talent for storytelling. Through Kenneth and his pictures, the documentary talks about Curundú, one of the poorest and most marginalised neighbourhoods in Panama City.

A playful yet critical exploration of a singularly Panamanian phenomenon, Reinas ushers us into the spectacular, strange and stressful world of queen ceremonies. An integral part of Panamanian folklore, our queens symbolize the festive aspect of our national spirit. But they also promote a very particular, potentially troubling idea of womanhood.

In her village in Panama, Senobia saw art in everything. Put a broken umbrella on a bottle and you have the head of a wild man. A stick plus a plastic cup becomes a bird. She turned her house into “The Museum of Antiquities of All Species.” There are old telephones and computers, and hanging everywhere are cards on which she wrote her thoughts. Her last wish: to keep everything in her museum as it is.