St. Vierja Academy

Director: Jose A. Stoute

Producers: Daniel Isaac Gomez & Production Design

World Premiere

Country of Production: Panama & United States

Date of Completion: 2023

Duration of Film: 105 Minutes

Toño, a successful US-based physician, is drawn back to Panama by the death of a high school friend. As he visits the cemetery, memories flood back from his time at the renown St. Vierja Academy, one of Panama’s most exclusive catholic schools for boys in the 1970s. Despite coming from humble beginnings in one of Panama's poorest neighborhoods, Toño camouflaged his background among his affluent classmates. He endured relentless bullying, ridicule, and more from teachers and students. Toño's life takes a darker turn when he is coerced into drug distribution to protect his secret. Expelled when his side job is discovered, Toño orchestrates a plan to expose his blackmailer and secure his return to school, with assistance from an unexpected ally. At the final revalidation exam in front of his nemesis, the physics teacher, he initially stumbles but he eventually triumphs and graduates to the surprise of many. Returning to St. Vierja Academy as an adult, Toño revisits the painful memories of his past, leaving behind a gift at the tombstone of his friend. After encountering a ghostly apparition of his younger self, he makes peace with his tumultuous past.