Panama – Freedom is a full feature documentary directed by Dr Louis Lam, a medical expeditionist and cultural anthropologist who travels all over the world to tell inspirational stories about the local people and culture, their views about themselves versus the world, and current issues that reflect much wider influences. The film starts with the yearly Black Christ repentance festival in Portabelo describing common citizens and freed criminals pleading for forgiveness from past sins and freedom of soul. It also talks about the previous dictatorship marked by the US invasion. This is also where the slaves were finally freed and formed their own culture of Congo. It takes us to an exciting journey into the heart of Panama City, El Chorillo, where it has not recovered fully from the invasion and its still existing poverty and gang problems. It interviews an ex- cop and his experience during the invasion and changes of the country as it steps into the next generations. It visits the Panama Canal and the little town of Gamboa for their cow feet soup as well as a sanctuary to preserve the wilderness affected by commercial shipping. It talks about challenges of the indigenous tribes as the Gunas in the north and the Embera of the west. It takes us to a tribal society to experience a typical day along the Chucunaque River and its jungle. It introduces an Afro-Panamanian chef who tries to preserve her ancestral recipe to her next generation. It visits a small fishing town of Puerto Caimito into the house of a local family for lunch. Along the story told, the films takes us to a culinary journey of Panama with iconic food as Sanchocho, Sao the vinegared pig feet, ceviche, pig head rice, Geisha coffee shop, and the only Coca Cola café in the world.

 

Filmed Oct, 2022.