Panama and the Dominican Republic sign agreement to promote film co-productions
Panama and the Dominican Republic agreed this Saturday to jointly promote film and audiovisual projects, signing an agreement as part of Panama’s participation as guest of honor at the XXVIII Santo Domingo International Book Fair (FILSD 2026).
Panama’s Minister of Culture, María Eugenia Herrera, and her Dominican counterpart, Roberto Ángel Salcedo, signed the Bilateral Film and Audiovisual Co-production Agreement, which seeks to strengthen mutual cooperation to boost the industry and unite resources, capabilities and talent, according to the Panamanian ministry.
“The idea is to empower artists through this bilateral agreement, but the most important thing is that we are the bridge for artists to connect, for film companies to connect, and to boost the private creative industry,” Panama’s Minister of Culture told EFE, adding that “the industry needs to be strengthened.”
“We, as the Ministry of Culture, are merely an organizational bridge so that artists can be the protagonists of the administrative process and, above all, to encourage private companies to invest in the development of filmmakers and culture in general,” he added.
Panama and the Dominican Republic are signatory countries of the Latin American Film Co-production Agreement, and this new bilateral instrument will allow “deepening that relationship” through a specific framework to facilitate joint film and audiovisual projects.
With the agreement, Panama also seeks to expand international cooperation and facilitate the participation of Panamanian producers and professionals in regional projects.
Meanwhile, Herrera said that “the creative industry contributes a significant amount to the gross domestic product for the economic development of nations,” and highlighted the Dominican Republic’s “successful track record” in the film sector.
Panama, guest of honor at the Santo Domingo International Book Fair
Within the framework of the Santo Domingo International Book Fair, which ends this Sunday and in which Panama is the guest of honor, Herrera highlighted the participation of the Panamanian National Ballet, which performed the Russian work ‘Swan Lake’ on September 28.
He also highlighted the participation of the Panama Symphony Orchestra, which is celebrating its 85th anniversary and will perform this Saturday at the National Theater of Santo Domingo, as well as more than 35 exhibitions by Panamanian writers “who have shared with writers in the Dominican Republic.”
In addition, the minister praised the participation of more than 250 Panamanian artists at the fair and thanked the Dominican Republic’s “brotherly people” for their hospitality.
“This shows that art is shared, that sharing culture connects our peoples, and that we are so similar and diverse. We have a multicultural and multiethnic culture,” he said.
“Panama wants to connect with the world so that they can get to know us through our culture and our artists, who are the living force of Panama’s voice,” he added.
For his part, the Dominican Minister of Culture, Salcedo, emphasized the “receptiveness”, “dedication” and “passion” of the Panamanian people in relation to cultural issues, “which have been evidenced by the presence of their National Symphony Orchestra, the National Folkloric Ballet and a large representation of some thirty (Panamanian) writers.”
In the context of the film agreement, Salcedo emphasized that he seeks to “achieve co-productions” using the structure of the Dominican film law and the landscapes of Panama and the Dominican Republic.
These co-productions “would help in a process of integration and consolidation of a cinematic endeavor that Central America and Latin America as a whole must continue to promote.”
“It is a first step of extremely high value, of great significance in creating a much broader and more diverse base in the audiovisual world,” he said.
