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Film lovers in Costa Rica rejoice: You have a few options to enjoy some very fine selections and even meet celebrities of the seventh art in August, September and October…. Read more » Continue reading →

Film lovers in Costa Rica rejoice: You have a few options to enjoy some very fine selections and even meet celebrities of the seventh art in August, September and October. Over the next few weeks, Costa Rica will be a haven of the silver screen with three thematic festivals that will feature domestic films, international offerings and Hollywood blockbusters. Plus, famous actors and filmmakers will be on hand to interact with Ticos and expats alike.

Manuel Antonio Film Festival, August 23rd to 25th

This film festival takes place in one of Costa Rica’s most beautiful beaches. Starting on Friday, August 23rd, residents of the Aguirre canton and visitors will be treated to double feature presentations at the San Bada and Villas Irio hotels. The screenings will begin at 4:00 p.m., and there will be a focus on films made in Costa Rica as well as science fiction classics.

This film festival offers an additional enticement to tourists. Visitors attending the film festival will enjoy significant discounts in hotel accommodations and tour packages, as well as on amenities and special activities such as canopy, catamaran sailing, rafting, and the spectacular Manuel Antonio National Park.

There will be a round table discussion about films produced in Costa Rica. The sci-fi classic screenings will include:

For more information, please visit http://www.festivaldecinedeaguirre.com/

Flowers of the African Diaspora, August 22nd to 31st

Readers of the Costa Rica Star know that August is the month we celebrate Afro-Costa Rican culture and heritage. To this end, Cine Magaly, the University of Costa Rica (UCR) and the Foundation of Art in Culture for Costa Rica’s development have invited three African-American thespians of Hollywood caliber to augment the celebrations.

Actors Danny Glover, Delroy Lindo and Alfre Woodward will be on hand to present some of their cinematic output.

Mr. Glover is known for more than his Lethal Weapon acting roles next to costar Mel Gibson -who spends quite a bit of time in Costa Rica. Mr. Glover is a humanitarian activist who has played a key role in the Durban Review Conference, which actively combats the spread of racism around the world.

Alfre Woodward is known for Star Trek: First Contact as well as HBO’s True Blood. She has also worked alongside former President of South Africa Nelson Mandela in the fight against apartheid.

Delroy Lindo was born in the United Kingdom and has Jamaican heritage, as many Afro-Costa Ricans do. He will forever be remembered for his role as Archie in 1992′s Malcolm X, directed by Spike Lee.

Some of the films that will be screened include: Crooklyn, Wondrous Oblivion (a must-see) and either The Color Purple or Tula: The Revolt. The beautiful African-American actress Angela Bassett might also attend. For a full schedule of screenings and special guests, please visit: http://www.festivaldiasporacr.org/

Costa Rica International Film Festival, Peace with Earth – October 11th to the 19th

This is the premier film festival in Costa Rica, and this year it will feature nearly 60 movies produced and shot by Tico filmmakers, complete with Tico actors and high production values. Some of the best international offerings are also screened at the Peace with Earth film festival -great films that rarely make it to the multiplexes. In the past, for example, audiences at this festival have been treated to Expiration Date from Mexico, The Cove from the United States, and the great Dangerous Method from renowned Canadian director David Cronenberg.

Two of the most-talked about films in this year’s festival are Puerto Padre and Princesas Rojas (Red Princesses). They have already generated some controversy due to the selection process, but reviews from early screenings guarantee that they will be popular entries in the festival:

Puerto Padre – Directed by Gustavo Fallas

An orphan from a small island town in Costa Rica travels to Puntarenas looking for his godfather and a better life. He finds out a lot about the lives of his absent family and his own life, and he becomes intrinsically tied to the hotel’s destiny.

Princesas Rojas – Directed by Laura Astorga

A girl raised against the political backdrop of communism and the Sandinista revolution is forced to return to Costa Rica, where her family wants to continue supporting the revolution by forming a secret activist cell. The young girl dreams of becoming a true revolutionary in Costa Rica, a nation that is happy to live under conservative values. Along the way, the girl’s mother betrays the family’s political status quo with an abrupt move to Miami, where the fearsome American Dream and capitalism awaits.

There is still time left to organize the Peace with Earth festival -more information on the screenings and activities will be forthcoming: https://www.facebook.com/CostaRicaCineFest