Three Costa Rican films have won funding from Ibermedia, an international government project that aims to boost television and cinematic productions in Spain, Portugal and Latin America, according to the Culture Ministry.
“Costa Rica is very proud of its audiovisual industry,” said Culture Minister María Elena Carballo. “I feel that we have a confluence of helping factors … creative and talented people, the support of the government and experienced people in the field.”
These films – entitled “Las niñas” (“The Girls”), “Las cincuenta vueltas” (“Fifty Turns”) and “Del amor y otros demonios” (“Of Love and Other Demons”) – are the first three winners from Costa Rica, who entered the program this year.
“This sector is earning money. This sector is competitive. We are creating a new way for creative people to work with their government,” Carballo said.
Costa Rica joins 16 other member countries, but is the only nation on the isthmus, along with Panama, involved in the program. “Las niñas,” about the Nicaraguan revolution through the eyes of one family, and “Vueltas,” about 50 years of Cuban communism, won $15,000 each for project development. “Del amor y otros demonios,” a film version of the 1994 Gabriel García Márquez novel of the same name done with help from Colombia, won $180,000 in the coproduction category.
“In each story, there is an important part of our soul and identity,” said Mercedes Ramírez, director of the government’s Center for Cinematic Production. “We want these projects to have an impact on the economy as well, because we are talking about cultural products.”
