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Luck has not run out for film lovers in Costa Rica. Hollywood celebrities such as Danny Glover were recently here at the Flowers of the Diaspora Film Festival in honor… Read more » Continue reading →

Luck has not run out for film lovers in Costa Rica. Hollywood celebrities such as Danny Glover were recently here at the Flowers of the Diaspora Film Festival in honor of Afro-Costa Rican Heritage Month, and the 2013 Costa Rica International Film Festival, Peace with Earth, is scheduled for October 11th to the 19th. Before then, however, shnit will go down.

The International Short Film Festival is organized around the world by Reta Guetg & Olivier van der Hoeven, founders of the shnit Foundation of Switzerland. Now in its 11th edition, shnit is happening beyond its hometown of Bern. As described by the foundation, film lovers in five continents will be able to enjoy short films in a simulcast event in the following cities:

From October 2nd to the 6th, film lovers in Costa Rica will be able to enjoy a diverse collection of short narratives, documentaries, animated films, music-inspired videos, and more. The curators and organizers of this event are the people behind the deleFOCO audiovisual community. “Dele foco” is a Costa Rican slang phrase which roughly translates to “showcase it.”

Talking shnit

According to the shnit Foundation,

The short film lives off the beaten track – light years away from the feature film. It is content with its condensed richness. Proud of its place in the aesthetic spectrum of cinematic art. First timers and experienced auteurs alike know that sometimes the sharper the focus of a short story, the more impact, in all genres. It is this dazzling diversity and the astounding precision that characterizes the short film. No wonder short films and videos are booming, online on various Internet sites from Youtube to Vimeo and at festivals all around the world.

The length of a short film, as described by the Academy of Motion Picture Art and Science of the United States, is 40 minutes or less. Most films at the shnit fest are shorter than that, which makes them perfect for today’s cinematic trend that caters to short attention spans.

San Jose was the first city in Latin America to take shnit seriously, a fitting role for the capital city of a country known as “the Switzerland of the Americas.”

On Wednesday, October 2nd, shnit will hit the projection room at the Cine Magaly in downtown San Jose. One shnit session will cost 3,000 colones (about $6), a day ticket goes for 10,000 colones, and 15,000 colones (about $30) will allow you to enjoy the whole shnit.

Shnit will also feature a national competition among filmmakers in Costa Rica, who could earn up to $21,000 with their short film entries.

For tickets and more information, visit deleFOCO’s Facebook Timeline and their home on the Web.