Costa Rica Channel Launches on Spain’s Filmin

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Costra Rica made a significant stride by debuting a specialized channel on the popular streaming service, Filmin, thereby securing video-on-demand distribution in one of its major international markets – Spain, in one confident step.

This year’s Cannes Film Festival will reveal Canal Costa Rica, a new channel dedicated to Costa Rica. The channel will showcase an assortment of up to 20 notable recent films, documentaries, and short movies produced in this productive but still relatively small region.

This venture signifies a groundbreaking route for global film dissemination and highlights the burgeoning backing from the Costa Rican administration towards cinematography, a surging tide of domestic productions, and the nation’s escalating artistic aspirations.

Indeed, Costa Rica is emerging as a leading filmmaking force in Central America.

Following our fantastic encounter with Chilean films last year, we were inspired to replicate that experience with movies from Costa Rica,” remarks Jaume Ripoll, co-founder and creative chief of Filmin. He adds that these hidden cinematic treasures are often overlooked outside the film festival circuit. Unlike the brief Chilean channel, which ran for just a month, this pioneering venture with Costa Rica will last an entire year. The Costa Rica Channel will also be accessible in Portugal.

Last year, the concept for a strategic partnership emerged between the Costa Rica Film Commission and Filmin. This partnership was ignited when Ripoll received an invitation to speak at the annual Costa Rica Media Market. It was during this event where he had the opportunity to meet the country’s freshly appointed film commissioner, Marysela Zamora.

Filmin is set to launch its new channel featuring a premiere lineup of 12 Costa Rican films and an animated series called “Ivick Von Salza,” drawn from their existing collection. More titles will be incorporated over time by the Film Commission, carefully chosen to match the platform’s theme and cater to its intended audience.

Notable movies on the Costa Rican TV network include Antonella Sudasassi’s works, such as “The Awakening of the Ants” and “Memories of a Burning Body.” These films were even showcased at the Oscars, representing Costa Rica. The interest in Costa Rican cinema soared particularly in Spain when “Memories of a Burning Body” was nominated for a Goya, which is equivalent to Spain’s Academy Awards, as reported by Ripoll.

Additionally, “Clara Sola” by Nathalie Alvarez, “I Have Electric Dreams” by Valentina Maurel, and Paz León’s first film, “Here and Now,” are also included in the lineup.

According to Zamora, the approach we’ve taken at the Film Commission since I joined has been straightforward: Showcasing Costa Rica on every screen – be it our films, our locations, or our tales. This initial move is aimed at acclimating viewers to appreciating Costa Rican cinema.

I’m all about fostering a future where our films are eagerly sought out, much like the appeal of Spanish or Argentine cinema today. We may be a small nation with a limited film library, but the more our narratives resonate with audiences, the simpler it becomes for our filmmakers to persist and find their niche.

It seems that Costa Rica has produced several outstanding female movie directors, possibly due to the fact that their film industry is still quite young and hasn’t yet fully established a traditional hierarchy. As Sudasassi points out, this might be because the industry is new and there’s been less time for old power structures to develop. Moreover, she suggests that their film schools have contributed to a more equal environment for everyone involved in the craft.

Additionally on Filmin’s lineup is Costa Rica’s entry for the 2016 Academy Awards, “About Us” (“Entonces nosotros”), directed by Hernán Jiménez, who has also helmed Netflix productions like “Love Hard”. After residing in Los Angeles for nearly a decade, Jiménez returned to his homeland to film his fifth movie, titled “April” (“Abril”). After over a decade away, he noticed a positive transformation within the industry, undeniably a stronger and more dynamic creative force.

Ripoll expressed optimism that Mexico and Colombia, along with other nations in Latin America, might take inspiration from this fresh endeavor and establish their own channels on Filmin.

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2025-05-16 19:51