{"id":4103,"date":"2026-07-13T16:09:36","date_gmt":"2026-07-13T16:09:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/?p=4103"},"modified":"2026-07-13T16:09:36","modified_gmt":"2026-07-13T16:09:36","slug":"puerto-rico-film-festival-welcomes-costa-rica-as-official-country-in-focus-exclusive","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/?p=4103","title":{"rendered":"Puerto Rico Film Festival Welcomes Costa Rica as Official Country in Focus (EXCLUSIVE)"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\n\tThe Puerto Rico Film Festival has announced Costa Rica as the official country in focus for its upcoming 17th edition, taking place August 19\u201323.\u00a0The announcement marks the first time the festival elects a country of honor, and comes ahead of this year\u2019s Costa Rica Media Market, a leading industry event taking place in San Jos\u00e9 on July 14-15. <\/p>\n

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\n\tAccording to the festival, the choice reflects a \u201cgrowing relationship between both territories and opening new opportunities for artistic and industry collaboration.\u201d The special spotlight will see a series of dedicated initiatives, including welcoming a delegation of Costa Rican filmmakers and a showcase of contemporary Costa Rican cinema. Costa Rica Film Commissioner Marysela Zamora-Villalobos will also attend the festival, where she will take part in industry activities focused on international collaboration, production incentives and regional partnerships.<\/p>\n

\n\tA festival statement highlighted how having Costa Rica as the festival\u2019s country in focus emphasizes the event\u2019s \u201clong-term commitment to building stronger bridges between Caribbean and Latin American film industries at a time when international co-productions, shared funding opportunities and cross-border distribution have become increasingly important for independent filmmakers.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cThe partnership offers an opportunity to deepen ties with Puerto Rico while introducing audiences and industry professionals to a new generation of Costa Rican storytellers,\u201d the statement continued. \u201cFor Puerto Rico, it reinforces the island\u2019s ambition to become a strategic hub where Caribbean and Latin American cinema can collaborate, develop projects and create sustainable industry relationships.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tLester Riv\u00e9, founder and festival director of the Puerto Rico Film Festival said: \u201cFor Puerto Rico, having Costa Rica as our Country in Focus represents much more than a cultural exchange. It creates new opportunities for our filmmakers to connect internationally, showcase their work, develop co-productions and explore new business and distribution opportunities across Latin America. Building these relationships today will strengthen the future of our regional film industry.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tSpeaking with Variety, <\/em>Zamora said the festival\u2019s invitation \u201creflects the growing recognition of Costa Rica as an active player in the regional audiovisual ecosystem.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

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\n\t\u201cIt gives our filmmakers, producers, and companies another platform to build international partnerships and showcase the quality of the work being created in the country,\u201d she added. \u201cIt\u2019s also a sign that Costa Rica is increasingly contributing to regional conversations\u2014not only through its locations, but through its talent, stories and industry initiatives.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tCosta Rica\u2019s audiovisual industry has grown exponentially in the last decade, with breakout films by directors such as Valentina Maurel, Antonella Sudasassi Furniss, Paz F\u00e1brega and Sof\u00eda Quir\u00f3s Ubeda making waves at major festivals such as Cannes, Berlin and Rotterdam. <\/p>\n

\n\tWell-known for stunning landscapes and rich biodiversity, the small but mighty Central American country has also emerged as a hungry player on the international production scene. In 2021, the country introduced its Law of Attraction of Film Investments, consolidating VAT refunds and tax exemptions for foreign productions. Today, the country offers an up-to-90% VAT refund on local services for qualifying projects, which equates to an around 11.7% tax rebate with a promise to repay within 90 days.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tLast year, Costa Rica attracted $11.2 million in audiovisual investment through 87 international business opportunities, more than double the 41 from the year prior. The country lured projects from Warner Bros. Discovery, Universal and BBC Studios, with the film commission closely supporting their production by minimizing bureaucracy and expediting technical documents.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tBeyond the Costa Rica-tied activities and a full program of screenings, the Puerto Rico Film Festival has become known for a growing industry platform designed to connect Puerto Rico with the global film community while celebrating diverse voices and emerging talent from around the world. This year\u2019s full program is yet to be announced.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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Puerto Rico Film Festival sets Costa Rica as official country in focus for its 17th edition<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4102,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[3308,3307,3333],"class_list":["post-4103","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-film","tag-costa-rica-media-market","tag-costa-rica","tag-puerto-rico-film-festival"],"yoast_head":"\nPuerto Rico Film Festival Welcomes Costa Rica as Official Country in Focus (EXCLUSIVE) - Relocation Observer<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/?p=4103\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Puerto Rico Film Festival Welcomes Costa Rica as Official Country in Focus (EXCLUSIVE) - 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