Costa Rican short film Selva (Jungle) will compete in a parallel section of the Cannes Film Festival; while the film Entonces Nosotros (About Us) earned four nominations in the Milan International Film Festival.

Selva (Jungle):

Directed by Sofía Quirós, this 17 minute short film aspires to two awards at the International Critics’ Week, the oldest parallel competitive section of the Cannes Film Festival, which will be celebrated in May 17-28 at the same time as the main event.

This film was selected among more than 1,700 productions from around the world and will compete with other 9 short films; it is a coproduction of Sputnik Films, Costa Rica and MigraCine-Argentina, Chile-.

Selva was filmed in Tortuguero, Costa Rica and it was first released at the Costa Rica International Film Festival 2016; it shows a young girl (11-year-old Smashleen Gutiérrez), that lives by the sea and she is just beginning to understand there is much more to the world.

The short film was done as a visual and narrative exploration with the finishing goal being the filming of Ceniza Negra (Black Ash) the first movie by Quiros which she expects to shoot in the first semester of 2018, currently she is in the process of raising the necessary funds.

Entonces Nosotros (About Us):

The Costa Rican film directed and written by Hernán Jiménez received four nominations at the Milan International Film Festival, an Italian event that recognizes the best independent films and organized by the Leonardo Da Vinci Film Society.

The categories the movie is competing for are: Best Editing, Best Production Design, Best Music/Song, Best Movie.

In the Best Movie category, the film is going up against 25 other films; while the other three categories have a total of six nominees.

Synopsis: Diego, a hopeless romantic desperately trying to salvage his relationship with longtime girlfriend Sofía, plans a beach getaway to clear the air, and propose to her. But a ‘chance’ encounter with Sofía’s old friend Malena will cast doubts on their relationship, and his skewed understanding of love, quickly turning a perfect weekend in paradise into Diego’s worst nightmare.

Producers: Chrise Cole, Laura Avila Tacsan
Director: Hernán Jiménez
Writer: Hernán Jiménez
Casting Director: Alejandra Vargas Carballo
Cinematographer: Ben Hardwicke
Art Director: Carolina Lett
Composer: Mark Orton