Luis Franco Brantley

Trapped in the middle of the world-shaking Panama Papers scandal, Ana Mendez must fight the system, the global media and her own ethical compass to try to restore her reputation and save her family.

The stories of a Panamanian officer who feels betrayed by his superiors, of a young man from the neighborhood trying to prevent his friends from going out to fight, of a fisherman going through a thousand adventures trying to bury his compadre, of an imprisoned American businessman for conspiring as a CIA agent against the dictatorship and an alcoholic prostitute who cannot escape her past ... all in the middle of the Christmas preparations, just as the US invasion of Panama begins.

Film by Luis Franco Brantley and Edgar Soberón Torchia.

Panama’s strategic geographic position has long been its greatest economic asset, with the Canal serving as the cornerstone of its development. Yet for decades, control of this vital waterway remained in the hands of a foreign power. Through interviews with residents of Panama City, Una bomba a punto de estallar (1977) captures the hopes, doubts and political sentiments surrounding the negotiation of the new treaties between Panama and the United States, offering a vivid portrait of a nation debating its sovereignty and future.

A musical group of young people from Viejo Veranillo perform protest songs in favor of the sovereignty of Panama. Set in 1976, a year before the signing of the Torrijos-Carter Treaties, the members of the group led by “Chirri”, vocalist and ukulele player, tell of their experiences in the neighborhood and their disagreements with the US military on the border that divided its community with the old Canal Zone.

Five shorts spanning a century on lives impacted by the Panama Canal. Men, women and children who are influenced by the existence of the "Canal", the event that changed the history of not only a country but the world.