IFF: Your “Chance” to see what set your maid laughing

If your Spanish is not yet up to scratch and you wondered what all the  "below the stairs" chatter was about a little while back when a  Panamanian feature film  hit the local screens, now’s your chance.

Yes, the fun-filled comedy “Chance”, directed by local film maker Abner Benaim, about class divisions in a Costa del Este type setting, will be subtitled in English for its showing during Panama’s International Film Festival.

Tona and Pacquita are the maids for the "prestigious" Gonzalez-Dubois family, a buffoonish bunch of self-styled aristocrats consisting of a high-profile politician dad, a snooty mom, and their twin teen daughters.  When the family plans a weekend shopping trip to Miami instead of paying the maids their back wages, Tona and Pacquita decide that enough’s enough, and stage an all-out rebellion that uncovers the family’s shameful secrets. 

Amusing and intelligent, “Chance” is a wry look at why “dirty laundry is washed at home.” So take care, and be sure to pay your maid or maids on time.

Making this movie was a dream come true for director Abner Benaim, one of Panama’s only major filmmakers.  After studying in Israel and the United States, and winning international awards for his earlier works, Benaim returned to Panama to direct his first feature film.

“It’s an adventure,” said Abner Benaim who from the start, has played a major role in the planning of the Festival.  “In Panama there has been very little filmmaking.  There have been some movies that were filmed in Panama, as a location, but only a few have told our own stories.”

“Chance” will re-appear at the Cinemark Multiplex theaters April 26 – May 2, with tickets going on sale March 30 for patrons, and on April 13 for the public. 

To view more movie summaries and trailers, or to see a full listing of the films that will be screened during the weeklong festival, type “IFF” in the search box.

All movies will carry English and Spanish subtitles.

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