TIFF co-founder Henk Van der Kolk is kickstarting a film festival in Panama.

The International Film Festival of Panama will run from April 11 to 17, 2012, and showcase English- and Spanish-language films in the Latin American nation.

“Panama is the perfect place to launch a film festival, and that’s exactly what I’m doing,” Van der Kolk said in a statement.

Earlier dates for IFF Panama were slated for February 2012, but at the request of the Panamanian government and tourist industry, the film festival will now be held in April, in the country’s off-season, when better deals on hotels and flights are available.

IFF Panama, with Rob Brown as CEO, has backing from the country’s entertainment players like Pituka Ortega Heilbron, Abner Benaim, Luis Pacheco, and actor/songwriter Ruben Blades.

Photo: kmacelwee / Flickr Creative Commons