Film

Costa Rica International Film Festival kicked off last Thursday and will feature more than 100 screenings through Dec. 18. Here are three flicks not to miss.

With an all-star cast, a production budget of $350,0000 and promotion to the tune of $500,000, "The Happiest Place in the World" is arguably the most ambitious Costa Rican production of all time.

A highlight of the shnit International Shortfilmfestival was the "Made in Costa Rica" competition on Oct. 9, which generated a huge line outside the Cine Magaly in eastern San José as people eagerly waited to watch Costa Rican entries.

The Shortfilmfestival started 13 years ago in Bern, Switzerland, and has since spread to other cities. The festival will be held simultaneously in this year's chosen cities, or "playgrounds," which are: Buenos Aires (Argentina), Moscow (Russia), Cape Town (South Africa), Bangkok (Thailand), Cairo (Egypt), Kyoto (Japan), and San José, which became a shnit playground in 2011.

Now in its third edition, the contest, which challenges students from the university's Collective Communication Science Department to produce a short film in just two days, resulted in 10 films showcased Oct. 2 at the UCR Law School Auditorium.

Esteban Ramírez, known for his films "Caribe" (2004) and "Gestación" (2009), was inspired by his father's documentary "Los Presos" (1973), about the everyday life of the inmates of a prison once located in what is now the Children's Museum in San José. The new film depicts the life of modern-day Costa Rican inmates, including positive changes that have taken place since the days of the 1973 film.

Around the world "Jurassic World," which is set in Costa Rica but was actually shot in Hawaii, has snapped up $981 million in its opening two weeks, making it the most globally profitable film of all times.

"The Salt of the Earth" is directed by Wim Wenders and Salgado's son, Juliano, and the two men trade off narrating what amounts to an unabashed love letter to the man they both idolize.

The Nicaraguan documentary short "The Reaper" is one of the Latin American films up for an Oscar this year.

The documentary film “El Codo del Diablo” sets out to reveal a hidden history of Costa Rica by revisiting a terrible crime that unfolded in Limón in 1948.