A Journey to the Soul of Guna Yala

Preview of the documentary
with an introduction by its film director,
Stella Holmes – with Panamá popcorn & drinks

2:00 opening – 2:15 introduction – 2:30 film begins

We invite you to an exclusive preview of A Journey to the Soul of Guna Yala, a documentary by Emmy-nominated filmmaker Stella Holmes —to be  introduced in person by the director herself. A Journey to the Soul of Guna Yala follows a University of Miami student returning to Panama’s Guna Yala Islands, an archipelago of 360 islands where a community works quietly, urgently, to hold onto who it is. Central to the story are molas — intricately handmade textiles that carry Guna history and identity in every stitch, and are now collected worldwide. As outside commercial pressures mount, the film asks a question that resonates far beyond Panama: what does it cost a culture to share what it loves most?

The documentary was inspired by the ArtLab @ The Lowe, an initiative that provides students with hands-on curatorial and cultural experience. Holmes is one of the program’s supporters, bringing her commitment to cultural preservation directly into the next generation of artists and scholars.

This preview is a unique opportunity to hear directly from Holmes about how it came to be. The documentary asks what happens when a culture’s most sacred expressions are shared, admired, and at risk of being transformed or lost. Through Guna Yala, it captures the fragile line between preservation, identity, and global attention—join us to see why this story was made, and why it demands our attention now.

Stella is a Miami-based art historian and the founder and president of West Encounters East, a documentary platform whose mission is to explore the intersection of cultures through their socio-historical and emotional-spiritual dimensions — creating films that foster dialogue, reflection, and deeper human connection.

Her work has been presented in film festivals and cultural venues and has received recognition and awards reflecting her commitment to storytelling and cultural dialogue.

Her work is guided by a lifelong belief in the power of art to bridge cultures and connect people. She has been awarded Certificates of Appreciation from the City of Miami, Miami-Dade County, the Lowe Art Museum, and the City of Coral Gables, which also presented her with its official City Seal.