Selected projects compete for $5,000 in cash and $15,000 in post production support from Atomica to complete their films
WILLEMSTAD – The Morelia International Film Festival (FICM) has announced the selected projects for the first edition of Impact 1, a new program taking place during the Curaçao International Film Festival (CIFF).
Impact 1 is an initiative of CIFF, developed in collaboration with FICM and supported by Atomica, one of Latin America's largest post production companies with offices in Chile and Mexico. The program offers Caribbean filmmakers a platform to present their films in post production and receive valuable feedback from international film professionals.
The first edition of the program attracted strong interest. In total, 40 projects were submitted by filmmakers from the Caribbean, Latin America and the diaspora. According to the organizers, the number of submissions highlights the growing dynamism and creative potential of filmmakers from the region.
From these submissions, four projects were selected to participate in Impact 1 during the Curaçao International Film Festival. The films will be presented on April 16 and 17 in private screenings, where filmmakers will showcase their projects to an international panel of film professionals and programmers.
The panel consists of Pamela Biénzobas, curator and programmer at the Locarno Film Festival, Jim Kolmar, programmer at the South by Southwest Film and TV Festival (SXSW), and Dutch director and producer Dave Schram, founder of Shooting Star Filmcompany. During the sessions, filmmakers will receive detailed feedback to help finalize their films and prepare the next steps toward distribution and international festival circulation.
In addition to the feedback sessions, two awards will be granted to support the completion of the selected projects. The winning film will receive a cash prize of $5,000 USD, made available by CIFF. In addition, Atomica will provide post production services valued at $15,000 USD.
The following films have been selected to participate in Impact 1:
1. Love Is the Monster / Amor es el Monstruo (Fiction)
Costa Rica, Peru, Panama, Chile
Director: Neto Villalobos
2. Saturn's Daughters / Las Hijas de Saturno (Documentary)
Cuba
Director: Lisa María Velázquez Serrano
3. Stray Bullet / Bala Perdida (Documentary)
Mexico, Colombia, France, Venezuela
Director: Juan Vicente Manrique
4. The Fool and the Moon / El Loco y la Luna (Fiction)
Dominican Republic, Argentina
Director: Julia Scrive Loyer
The selected filmmakers will be present in Curaçao during the festival to present their projects and participate in the feedback sessions.
The Curaçao International Film Festival will take place from April 14 to 19, 2026 and annually brings together filmmakers, audiences and international film professionals on the island. The festival aims to support regional talent and strengthen the international visibility of Caribbean cinema.