International Cinema Festival starts rolling this Friday

If there’s one thing Costa Rica excels at, it’s peace – so it makes sense that a major local film festival would have the theme “Peace with the Earth.” The 2014 International Cinema Festival will explore the concept of peaceful coexistence, and the pursuit of it, from a variety of angles, by way of 73 different features and shorts.

Coming at the heels of the Shnit Short Film Festival, this seven-day event will also include a conference about film and audiovisual arts (Nov. 10 & 11, Veritas University).

With so many films to choose from, screening at both Cine Magaly and Sala Garbo, you may find yourself stricken with option paralysis. The crowned king of the festival is “Relajos Salvajes” (“Savage Tales”) by Argentinean director Damián Szifrón. The film incorporates several vignettes about violence and revenge, all of them disturbingly hilarious. (Not exactly Costa Rican themes, but hey, it’s international.)

If you’re rooting for the home team, here are some selections produced by Costa Rican filmmakers.

La Caja de Pandora

This documentary by Pablo Ortega exposes the flaws on the Caja healthcare system (Nov. 11, 5 p.m., Sala Garbo).

Espejismo (Mirage)

This psychological thriller explores the mind of Daniel, a painter with a tortured past (Nov. 14, 7 p.m., Cine Magaly).

El Codo del Diablo (The Devil’s Elbow)

A 12-year-old boy searches for his father, from Limón to San José, but his pursuit is haunted by a terrible crime (Nov. 13, 7 p.m., Sala Garbo).

https://vimeo.com/97175599

Los Volátiles (The Volatile Ones)

In Alexandra Latishev’s moving documentary, Costa Ricans with special needs openly discuss their place in the world (Nov. 9, 7:30 p.m., Sala Garbo).

For more information about the film festival, visit its official website.