Within the framework of the Global Migration Film Festival (GMFF), whose central theme was "Stories that Mobilize", five screenings of the films "Misfit" and "Amarillo, Azul y Rojo" were held from January 27 to 30, 2023, across the country.

The festival began when two screenings of the film "Amarillo, Azul y Rojo” (Yellow, Blue and Red) were held at the Temporary Migrant Reception Centre (ETRM for its Spanish acronym) in Los Planes de Gualaca, province of Chiriquí, in which migrants and personnel from the National Migration Service, National Border Service and the National Police participated.

This same film was also presented at the ETRM of San Vicente and at the headquarters of ISAE University in Metetí, province of Darién, before an audience composed of personnel from the National Migration Service, National Secretariat for Children, Adolescents and Family (SENNIAF), Ministry of Labour and Professional Development, representatives of UNICEF, the Panamanian Red Cross, Médecins Sans Frontières, the Pan American Development Foundation (PADF), UNHCR, students, migrants and community members.

Yellow, blue and red are the colours of the flags of Ecuador, Venezuela and Colombia, but it is also the name of this Ecuadorian film that intertwines stories of migration, many of them told in the first person by the 60 young people in situations of human mobility and the host communities that made it.

On the other hand, "Misfit" tells the story of a young Latin American teenager named Julia, who from the age of 4 moved with her family to the United States, where she feels that her life is perfect, because she is popular, has a successful YouTube channel with more than 100 thousand followers and many friends.

However, her dream of becoming Prom Queen is cut short when her parents tell her that they must return to Ecuador.

This film was screened at the Office of the Governor of the Province of Panamá to students of the Metropolitan University of Education, Science and Technology (UMECIT), representatives of the National Youth Council, Ministry of Education and government staff, who then participated in a panel discussion.

Iraiza Guerra, student of Social Work and Human Development at UMECIT, said that she found this festival to be "very interesting and enriching because it invites us to reflect on the importance of migration, non-exclusion and non-discrimination against people because of their different cultures, since, as a country, we are inherently migrants."

The Global Migration Film Festival is organized by the International Organization for Migration (IOM) in more than 100 countries as a way to commemorate International Migrants Day with feature films depicting a world in motion. The event is an opportunity to bring to different audiences dramatic, moving and funny stories of migrants, through images that provoke diverse feelings between people from different cultures.

"IOM Panama reinforces its commitment to promoting an informed and balanced conversation about migration, through the stories, experiences and aspirations of migrants in their communities. The festival reminds us of our interdependence, our common humanity and the

unique contributions we collectively make to our shared communities," said Giuseppe Loprete, Head of IOM's Panama (Global) Administrative Centre and Chief of Mission.

This edition of the Global Migration Film Festival in Panama would not have been possible without the support of the Office of the Governor of the Province of Panamá, the First Eastern Brigade of the National Border Service, and the ISAE University.

For more information, contact IOM's External Relations Unit in Panama via email erupanama@iom.int