Filmographies - films at UST by Country: Costa Rica

The Blue Butterfly tells the story of a terminally ill 10-year-old boy whose dream is to catch the most beautiful butterfly on Earth, the mythic and elusive Blue Morpho. His mother persuades a renowned entomologist to take them on a trip to the Costa Rican rain forest to search for the butterfly, leading to an adventure that will transform their lives.

Politics, passion and environmentalism collide in this steamy drama set in Costa Rica. After moving to a peaceful Costa Rican fishing community to work for a banana company, Vicente Vallejo and his wife Abigail become involved in a struggle between angry locals and a multinational oil company that wants to drill off the coast.

During a time of inquisition and slavery, Sierva María wants to know what kisses taste like. She is 13 years old, daughter of aristocrats but raised by their African slaves living in colonial Cartagena de Indias. When a rabid dog bites her, the bishop declares she is possessed and entrust Cayetano his pupil, with her exorcism. The priest and the girl Hill find themselves seduced by a demon more powerful than faith and reason.

Saslaya, a 12-year-old girl, escapes from her native Nicaragua with her little brother in search of their mother, who emigrated 8 years ago to neighboring Costa Rica.

Bernie, Manuel, and Nestor just graduated from high school, and have no plans for the future. Unsatisfied with the opportunities Costa Rica presents, the boys decide to concentrate on mundane activities. However, over the course of a few days, key events in the boys' personal lives conspire to make a disinterested lifestyle difficult. After a break-up with his girlfriend, Bernie reconsiders going to college, in hopes of repairing his relationship. In the midst of an identity crisis brought on by concerned adults, Manuel tries to survive mental confusion. Bound by revolutionary spirit, the friends must handle their internal conflicts individually and as a group.

Depressed by the recent death of his parents and losing his job, Nico, an ordinary 26 year old, becomes a recluse. When Nico wakes up one day to hear that the end of the world is coming soon due to a gigantic meteor, he sets out with his friend Carlos on a journey to Nosara, Costa Rico, in a final quest to find meaning in their lives.

On the eve of the 30th anniversary of the triumph of Nicaragua's revolution a long forgotten Sandinista commander appears: Paco Jarquin. Contrary to most of his former FSLN colleagues, he prefers to deny his glorious past and live anonymously in neighboring Costa Rica as a dance teacher.

Gestation is the story of Jessie, a girl living with her single mother in San José, Costa Rica. A gifted young woman with a modest upbringing, Jessie attends a private Catholic school on a scholarship. There she meets Teo, another only-child brought up by his strict, wealthy mother. The two fall in love but are soon faced with an unwanted pregnancy, a responsibility that neither is ready for. Class distinctions and social pressure come to a head in this impressive, thoughtful drama of young love. Based on a true story.

René Cardona directs the film version of José León Sanchez's best-selling novel, which relates the author's 20 years of imprisonment on an island ruled by brutality. When a sadistic man declares himself the boss of an island pueblo, an innocent husband and wife become the victims of his selfish rule. Once the evil man's deeds reach the authorities on the mainland, however, he sinks further into madness and declares 'his' island its own republic.

Gabo and Maga are one of those sets of grandparents who can't live without each other. Their granddaughter Delia grew up with them. When the grandmother dies suddenly, Gabo and Delia join in absolute solitude, where they close their eyes and invent a new reality. Now, granddaughter and grandfather embark on a journey into the unknown and reinvent their friendship.

Profiles Duly, Paul and Jeneir, three children in Central America whose farming families are responsible for growing products that are everyday staples in our society. This film shows what a fair trade farm look like, and how it differs from the large industrial farms that threaten the livelihood of these children's families. While they are unsure of what the future holds, these children have a deep love and respect for the land and for their duties on the farms.

Traveler Justine Shapiro starts her journey in Merida, Mexico, the capital of the Yucatan peninsula, where she takes in the Mayan ruins of Chichen Itza and Tulum. She then travels south through Belize to Guatemala. Further south Neil Gibson begins his journey in the Costa Rican capital of San Jose traveling through the Monteverde Cloud Forest before ending his journey in turbulent Nicaragua.

Home to more biodiversity than either Europe or North America, Costa Rica has shown the world how to benefit from the environment without destroying it. In this video, a student team treks across the Central American nation with a spotlight on ecotourism and how it fits into Costa Rica's overall economy. Visits to a banana farm, a coffee plantation, the Monteverde Cloud Forest, and the Tortugero National Park demonstrate a healthy give-and-take relationship between human society and the land.

It explores the wildlife of the Pacific coast of Costa Rica. "Along the coast, giant crocodiles fight for the right to mate, while in the trees, troops of capuchin, squirrel and howler monkeys, as well as resplendent quetzals and beautiful songbirds, forage for food above the forest floor that is home to Hercules beetles, deadly army ants and poison dart frogs.

The journey begins on the Pacific side of Costa Rica where the Osa Peninsula encircles Corcovado National Park. Then explore the beaches at Punta Islita, Palo Verde National Park, and the Monteverde Cloud Forest, before heading to Tortuguero National Park, a tropical rain forest on the Caribbean coast.

Some scientific studies predict that as the Earth continues to warm, up to a third of all species could go extinct by the middle of the century. This ABC News program looks at the effect of global warming on non-human life, specifically two species of frogs that used to inhabit the Monteverde Cloud Forest Preserve, in Costa Rica; three additional vanished frog species in Madagascar; and the severely threatened checkerspot butterfly in southern California. Commentary is provided by Alan Pounds, of the University of Miami; the American Museum of Natural History's Chris Raxworthy; and Camille Parmesan, of The University of Texas at Austin.

Filmed in Costa Rica and Panama, learn first-hand about the history behind the sloth from its earliest discovery to present day. Discover how conservation efforts are protecting the sloth and its habitat which is under constant threat from development. Also hear from scientists and animal experts on how efforts at rescue centers set up especially for sloths are contributing to better understand them.

Tells the story of Alexander Skutch and reveals the splendors of tropical nature that have captivated him for over half a century. One of the great naturalists of our time, Skutch traveled around Central America for years uncovering the secrets of tropical birdlife. His later efforts to live and farm in harmony with the rainforest in Costa Rica, make Skutch's remarkable story especially relevant today.

Franklin Chang-Diaz: The son of a Spanish Costa Rican mother and a Chinese and Costa Rican father, Change-Diaz become the first naturalized American astronaut. He also holds the record for the most space flights-and he's designed a revolutionary new rocket that just might power a new generation of space explorers.
Marathon Mouse: After studying mice his team managed to genetically alter for heightened endurance, Ron Evans has found two drugs that have the same effect as gene modification. Now that both drugs have been approved by the FDA for other uses, will their promise-helping those with little to no muscle mass, such as kids with muscular dystrophy or the frail elderly, to build strength and endurance-be overshadowed by potential athlete abuse? Dinosaur Plaque: Renowned paleontologist George Poinar-whose study of extinct creatures exquisitely preserved in amber partly inspired Jurassic Park--has announced his discovery of multiple clues to parasitic pandemics that could have been just as instrumental in wiping out the dinosaurs as the hypothesized asteroid impact. Space Storms: What causes the northern lights? The most energetic displays are associated with violent space weather-the energetic interaction of radiation, magnetic fields, and charge particles from the sun-which could catastrophically disrupt the space-based technologies on which we increasing rely. And now there's storm brewing, marketing the peak in the Sun's 11-year cycle of maximum activity.

An ecosystem in danger of disappearing from the map is making a comeback in the old pastures of Santa Rosa Park. This documentary captures the astonishing work of the Guanacaste Conservation Area to reduce the dry forest and other tropical environments. The photographer and filmmaker Luciano Capelli takes us deep into the most remote corners of the forest, where scientists and park rangers struggle to preserve over 300 thousand species.