Panama Showbiz Latest News and Updates

Jeff Probst has been the host of Survivor since season one…but will he return as host for years to come?

EXCLUSIVE: Garrett VanDusen has joined Brad Krevoy’s Motion Picture Corporation of America as Vice President of Physical Production, Deadline has learned.

Anna Marie de la Fuente With John Travolta, Gregory Nava and a host of other luminaries lighting it up, the 12thPanama International Film Festival wrapped Sunday on a high note, with general attendance exceeding expectations. Speaking at the closing ceremony held at the Canal Museum, Pituka Ortega-Heilbron, IFF Panama Board President, hailed this latest edition as a vibrant rebirth for the festival.

Anna Marie de la Fuente Calling all Latino filmmakers, John Travolta wants to work with you. Swinging by Panama to present his 1978 musical rom-com “Grease” at the 12th Panama International Film Festival (IFF Panama), Travolta professed his great love for “Mexico, Central America, South America, all of its parts.” “There is an incredible humanity that prevails and is different from anywhere else in the world,” he told Variety. Surprised to hear that Robert de Niro had starred in the Argentine series “Nada,” Travolta exclaimed: “I would have loved that, I would have enjoyed being lured to South America to play a part for a while.” The closest he’s come to working with a Latino director was with Alfonso Cuarón, who produced the short film streaming on Disney+ “The Shepherd,” based on Frederick Forsyth’s 1975 novella, which follows a young Royal Air Force pilot flying home for Christmas across the North Sea.

Anna Marie de la Fuente Moved from its usual December berth last year, the 12th Panama International Film Festival (IFF Panama) runs April 4-7, replete with new industry activities and double the number of films since its previous edition. True to its mandate to serve as a showcase for Central American and Caribbean cinema, the festival’s program this year includes a bevy of acclaimed films from the region, including two Panamanian Indigenous-themed features, “Bila Burba” and “God is a Woman.” Recent years has seen the growing international recognition of pics from the region, with Nelson Carlo de los Santos becoming the first Dominican – and first Latin American – filmmaker to snag the best director Silver Bear at the Berlinale for his drama, “Pepe.” Costa Rican director Antonella Sudasassi Furniss’ sophomore feature, “Memories of a Burning Body,” clinched the Audience Award for best fiction film in the Panorama section of the A-list German festival.

Anna Marie de la Fuente Running April 4-7, the IFF Panama brings to this year’s edition a rich mix of standout director driven titles from Europe, the Spanish-speaking world and beyond, spangled by highlights from Central America, including Panama: “Bila Burba,” (Duiren Wagua, Panama) Documentary. Wagua’s debut feature. The Gunadule nation’s ties with the Panamanian government were fraught with territorial and cultural disputes.

Anna Marie de la Fuente While a number of films have been made about Panama’s Indigenous communities, few are by native filmmakers themselves. To date, perhaps only three Indigenous Panamanian filmmakers have ventured into filmmaking. Duiren Wagua, whose documentary feature debut “Bila Burba” plays at this year’s 12th Panama International Film Festival (IFF Panama), running April 4-7, is hoping to change the status quo.

Jaden Thompson Village Roadshow Television is developing a scripted series and a two-part docuseries based on the story of convicted serial killer William Dathan Holbert, better known as “Wild Bill,” who is currently serving 47 years in prison for murdering at least five American expatriates. The company recently acquired the rights to an unpublished memoir by Scott McAda, who Wild Bill attempted to frame for his crimes, as well as “The Jolly Roger Social Club,” a book about the murders by journalist Nick Foster.

MAY 202403: Amsterdam, the Netherlands, Panama04: Frankfurt, Germany, Karlson08: Zurich, Switzerland, Labor 509: Berlin, Germany, Spindler & Klatt10: Munich, Germany, Ampere11: Bremen, Germany, NFF ClubThe DJ Tour featuring DJ SUVIN is coming to Europe soon!!♥️Are you as excited as we are??Let’s have an unforgettable time together!✨

Jeff Probst has been the host of Survivor since season one…but will he return as host for years to come?

A rare baby spider monkey has been wowing visitors at Chester Zoo. These pictures show the Colombian black-headed spider monkey, named Olive, being cradled by her mum Kiara.

Elsa Keslassy International Correspondent Shailene Woodley and Jack Whitehall have joined the cast of the animated feature “Girl in the Clouds,” directed by Philippe Riche (“Rabbids Invasion”). The film, penned by Riche and Luc Bossi, is inspired by the novel “The Little Girl Who Swallowed a Cloud as Big as The Eiffel Tower” by best-selling author Romain Puértolas. Production will start in May 2024 for a Summer 2026 release.

Jimmy Doherty is swapping his Suffolk farm for sunny Florida as the keen foodie travels across the US state to visit its culinary hotspots. However, the ITV1 series isn’t just a regular travel show for Jimmy – as he finally fulfilled his lifelong dream of ticking Florida off his list of must-see holiday destinations. “Growing up, my view of Florida was Miami Vice, Gentle Ben, Flipper and all that kind of stuff.

John Hopewell Chief International Correspondent “The Simple Life,” the sixth movie of Oscar-shortlisted Abner Benaim, and “The Coast,” the directorial feature debut of “The Gypsy Bride” star Nerea Barros, both make their market debut at next March’s Malaga Festival Fund & Co-Production Event (MAFF), one of the top forums for arthouse projects in the Spanish-speaking world. Proving the possibility to carve out an international film career based out of Panama, “The Simple Life” (“La Vida Simple”) marks the sixth feature from Benaim, Oscar shortlisted for “Plaza Catedral.” Marking a departure, “The Simple Life” looks like a more personal turn, about a film director, sans camera and crew, in Panama, compelled by unforeseen circumstances to live the very movie he’s longed to capture on film, suffering existential crisis.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief I.E. Entertainment, the global distribution outfit founded and run by industry veterans Indra and Erlina Suharjono, has come on board to handle worldwide sales for Cathay Film Company’s “Coolie.” The TV miniseries is inspired by the little-known history of enslaved Chinese ‘coolies’ in Cuba in the 1860s.

Tubi Hires Endeavor Exec For International Expansion

Todd Spangler NY Digital Editor Tubi, Fox Corp.’s ad-supported video-on-demand service, is eyeing a bigger international footprint: The streamer has tapped David Salmon, former CTO of Endeavor Streaming, as executive VP and managing director of international. Salmon, based in the U.K., will report to Tubi CEO Anjali Sud, the ex-chief exec of Vimeo who started at the streamer in September. Tubi’s biggest market is the U.S., where it first launched.

EXCLUSIVE: Cuban star Mario Cimarro and Hong Kong actress Nina Paw Hee-Ching are joining the cast of historical scripted drama series Coolie, produced by Meileen Choo’s Singapore-based Cathay Film Company.

90 Day Fiance star Jasmine Pineda says she has had to adapt to many of Gino Palazzolo‘s idiosyncrasies. She claims he has some bizarre habits and beliefs that not only have they argued over many times, but she has tried to learn to live with.Gino Palazzolo and Jasmine Pineda of 90 Day Fiance may not hold the title for the craziest and most toxic fights seen in reality television. But they are in the top 10.

happening outside of the United States. The three-hour long ceremony will instead take place in the city of Seville in Spain on Thursday, and U.S.-based viewers can catch the celebration at 8 p.m. ET on Univision, UniMás and Galavisión.

90 Day Fiance star Jasmine Pineda gears up for battle this week when she sits down with Gino Palazzolo‘s family to undergo a line of questioning. They want answers, and Jasmine defends herself against her fiance’s intrusive and demanding family.It has not been easy for 90-Day Fiance star Jasmine Pineda to transition from Panama to Michigan. She knew that picking up and moving to the United States would be a tough adjustment for her.Jasmine expected issues once she moved in with Gino Palazzolo full-time.

officially arrived in Argentina in time for second concert in Buenos Aires.Last night, many Swifties were surprised that Kelce the kickoff of her South American tour, despite having the weekend off from playing football. Instead, the 34-year-old NFL player supported close friend and teammate at his in Kansas City.

EXCLUSIVE: The story of Alice Roosevelt, Theodore Roosevelt’s the unconventional and strong-willed daughter, is being turned into a scripted podcast.

Anna Tingley If you purchase an independently reviewed product or service through a link on our website, Variety may receive an affiliate commission. “90 Day Fiancé” is back with another season of cringe as six overseas fiancés travel to the U.S. to live with their partners for the first time on a unique K-1 visa.

As the Hollywood strikes stretched to Week 23, optimism is high that a deal between signatories and SAG-AFTRA is close and the town can go back to work. That enthusiasm could be felt with all the deal stories that Deadline broke this week, a clear signal of hope.

Paramount+ has set Tuesday, November 7 as the premiere date for journalist Nick Barili‘s new docuseries De La Calle in the U.S. and Canada.

Wolfgang Van Halen has explained why he doesn’t cover his father’s band’s songs live.The musician, who plays under the project Mammoth WVH, performed ‘On Fire’, ‘Hot For Teacher’ and ‘Panama’ at last year’s Taylor Hawkins tribute concerts. alongside The Darkness frontman Justin Hawkins on vocals, Foo Fighters‘ Dave Grohl on bass, and Josh Freese on drums at two concerts in tribute to the late drummer.“It was wonderful.

Jeff Probst wouldn’t underestimate Cirie Fields.

Todd Spangler NY Digital Editor Tyler “Ninja” Blevins is stepping away from the gaming keyboard — and getting into your earbuds with his first-ever podcast. The top gaming influencer will host twice-weekly podcast “AFK w/ Ninja,” set to premiere Sept. 12 across all major platforms.

Guy Lodge Film Critic Who does a documentary truly belong to — the people who make it, the people who fund it, or the people it depicts? On the face of it, the answer seems obvious: At a spiritual level, if not always a corporate one, we tend to think of art as the property of the artist. Yet in dusting off a long-languishing nonfiction feature from the 1970s that was taken from its stymied director by his bankrollers and sent to the vault, Andrés Peyrot’s thoughtful, mirror-holding doc “God is a Woman” makes a compelling case for the third option.

William Earl For a film ostensibly built around a pun, “Slotherhouse” is constructed many steps above the Syfy-level fare that brought 2013’s “Sharknado” to the mainstream. The budget looks higher, the camerawork slicker and there is more overall craft taken into consideration than your average low-budget exploitation premise.

A former Coronation Street star had fans raving - literally - in Bolton this weekend when she joined Gok Wan for a DJ set.

yet another explosive fight on Sunday's episode of, and Jasmine shockingly told Gino that she filmed a sex tape with her ex-boyfriend, Dane, just one month ago. Gino said he was «done» with Jasmine and called her a «w**re.»Jasmine and Gino have not been getting along during his visit to Panama ahead of their marriage.

Jasmine and Gino are not on the same page when it comes to having a child together. In this exclusive clip from Sunday's new episode of, the couple has a serious conversation about their future, and it's clear Gino wants a child and Jasmine doesn't.Gino, 53, has been open about wanting a child with Jasmine from the start of their relationship.

Mama June Shannon is ripping a page out of Kevin Hart's playbook when it comes to how she wants to live her life — Do you, boo boo!The star took to her Instagram Stories on Thursday to give herself a shout-out on her 44th birthday. She also outlined how she plans to live it up the next year — stress-free and looking out for. «Happy birthday to me I'm totally going to try to live life to the fullest this year and start leaving bulls**t right where it starts n leaving negative things and people where they are,» she wrote over a photo taken on her wedding day.

Jennifer Lopez. The multi-talented artist recently shared a snapshot that exudes relaxation, warmth, and effortless glamour.