Costa Rica is an active member of the international community and, in 1983, claimed it was for neutrality. Due to certain powerful constituencies favoring its methods, it has a weight in world affairs far beyond its size. The country lobbied aggressively for the establishment of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights and became the first nation to recognize the jurisdiction of the Inter-American Human Rights Court, based in San José.
Héctor Benjamín Alterio Onorato is an Argentine theatre, film and television actor, well known both in Argentina and Spain.
Juan Arnoldo Cayasso Reid is a Costa Rican former professional footballer who played during the 1980s and 1990s.
Heinrich "Heiner" Carow was a German film director and screenwriter.
The 68th annual Berlin International Film Festival took place from 15 to 25 February 2018. German filmmaker Tom Tykwer served as Jury President.
Guadalupe Urbina is a Costa Rican singer-songwriter, poet, and activist. Urbina is a folk musician whose compositions reflect the oral tradition of Guanacaste, her birthplace. She has performed in both Europe and the United States and has won various awards for her work domestically and internationally.
The Awakening of the Ants is a 2019 Costa Rican drama film directed by Antonella Sudasassi. It was selected as the Costa Rican entry for the Best International Feature Film at the 92nd Academy Awards, but it was not nominated.
Man Yu Fung Li, commonly known as Man Yu, is a Costa Rican artist, born in Hong Kong. She specializes in painting, but also incorporates multiple multidisciplinary media such as installation art, video art and performance art. Part of her work focuses on human anatomy, the different non-physical layers of the human being, humanism and respect for living beings.
Alcarràs is a 2022 Spanish-Italian drama film directed by Carla Simón. It is set and shot in Alcarràs, Catalonia, featuring a non-professional cast of Catalan-speaking actors. The plot is a family drama about the disappearance of traditional peach-harvesting activities. It won the Golden Bear at the 72nd Berlinale, becoming the first Catalan-language film to do so. The film was selected as the Spanish entry for the Best International Feature Film at the 95th Academy Awards, but did not make the shortlist.
Basel Adra is a Palestinian activist and journalist who in 2021 was falsely accused of framing the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and who in 2022 was beaten while filming the IDF demolishing a structure that he built. He co-wrote and co-directed the 2024 documentary film No Other Land, which premiered at the 74th Berlin International Film Festival, at which it won two best-documentary awards.
Nathalie Álvarez Mesén is a Costa Rican-Swedish director. She won the Guldbagge Award for Best Director and Guldbagge Award for Best Screenplay for her 2021 film Clara Sola.
Before the Fall is a 2008 Spanish thriller film with apocalyptic themes directed by F. Javier Gutiérrez which stars Víctor Clavijo, Mariana Cordero, and Eduard Fernández.
Matria is a 2023 Spanish social drama film directed by Álvaro Gago which stars María Vázquez. It is shot in Galician.
The 74th annual Berlin International Film Festival, usually called the Berlinale, took place between 15 and 25 February 2024 in Berlin, Germany. Kenyan-Mexican actress Lupita Nyong'o was named the Jury President for the main competition. This year's Berlinale was Carlo Chatrian and Mariette Rissenbeek's final edition in charge, following their dismissal in 2023. The festival opened with Tim Mielants' Small Things like These.
Disco Afrika : A Malagasy Story is a 2023 Malagasy-language drama film directed by Luck Razanajaona, produced by Jonathan Rubin, co-written with François Hébert, Marcelo Novais Teles, Ludovic Randriamanantsoa and starring Parista Sambo. It World premiered at 2023 Marrakech International Film Festival and European premiered at 74th Berlin International Film Festival where it received an honorable mention from the AG Kino – Gilde e.V. jury.
Ivo is a 2024 German drama film written and directed by Eva Trobisch. Starring Minna Wündrich, the film is about tough end-of-life decisions, told through the story of a palliative home-care titular nurse Ivo. It was selected for screening in the Encounters section at the 74th Berlin International Film Festival, where it had its world premiere on 20 February 2024, where it was nominated for the Golden Bear Plaque for Best Film in the Encounters section, and won the Heiner Carow Prize.
The Major Tones is a 2023 Spanish-language fantasy mystery film written and directed by Ingrid Pokropek in her feature directorial debut. Starring Sofía Clausen in her screen acting debut, the film tells the story of fourteen-year-old Ana, who discovers that the metal plate she has in her arm from an accident she suffered as a child is now receiving a strange message in Morse code.
Cura sana is a 2024 Spanish short drama film written and directed by Lucía G. Romero. It tells the story of Jessica and Alma, two sisters, who are victims of domestic violence at home and therefore treat each other with violence.
No Other Land is a 2024 documentary film directed by Basel Adra, Hamdan Ballal, Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor in their directorial debut. The film was made by a Palestinian-Israeli collective of four activists as an act of resistance on the path to justice during the ongoing conflict in the region.
