From the print edition
Manuel Antonio National Park, on the central Pacific coast, recently welcomed a film crew and award-winning actors for new movie entitled “The Librarian.”
The film begins in the United States, where a librarian discovers a book about Costa Rica and the images inspire an end-of-life journey to Central America.
Recognizable faces in this film include actress Marcia Gay Harden, an Academy Award winner, known for her roles in “Into the Wild” (2007) and “Mystic River” (2003), and Oscar Jaenada Catalán, winner of a Goya for his role in “Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides” (2011).
“‘The Librarian’ is the story of a woman who lost connection with life and everything in it,” said Juan Feldman, the film’s producer and director. “We share her journey to end her suffering.”
Feldman conceived this story a year ago. He said the story came from observing people who were oblivious to what really mattered in life, like love, health and happiness.
“In this story we see the difference between a Latino country like Costa Rica and a first-world country like the U.S., where human values are twisted, money being the most valuable thing and health and happiness a secondary thing,” Feldman said. “It is a modern world disease.”
Feldman said people should see this film because it is entertaining and therapeutic. “We need more independent films, and I am hoping to make at least one per year.”
Part of the film’s inspiration came from a book by Adrian Hepworth called “Costa Rica: A Journey Through Nature.”
This coffee-table book is an illustrated testimony to Costa Rica’s fragile beauty, and is comprised of images that represent 13 years of the author’s fieldwork in photography. It plays a key role in the movie’s plot.
“I have no doubt ‘The Librarian’ will tempt visitors to come and experience Costa Rica for themselves”
–Adrian Hepworth
Author of “Costa Rica: A Journey Through Nature”
“Both myself and the publisher, Zona Tropical Publications, were obviously delighted to hear that the production team of ‘The Librarian’ wanted to use a copy of our book in their movie,” Hepworth
said. “It is certainly not every day that one’s work is read by an Oscar-winning actress on camera.”
On a personal level, Hepworth said it is rewarding for the book to receive this kind of interest. “I have no doubt the ‘The Librarian’ will tempt its viewers to come and experience Costa Rica for themselves, and may remind those who have already been here of what they miss,” he said. “When Costa Rica is portrayed accurately, it is a most enticing travel destination for all kinds of travelers. If the movie helps to bring a few more tourists to Costa Rica, then that can only be good thing.
Camera crews finished filming in late July and the movie is expected to hit theaters worldwide next year.
