Costa Rican Cinema Reaches Cannes Milestone as Film Industry Investment Grows
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A Costa Rican feature film has been selected for the official competition at the Cannes Film Festival for the first time, a milestone for the country's growing film sector. This achievement coincides with a significant increase in international audiovisual investment in Costa Rica, which more than doubled its business opportunities in 2025. The growth is supported by a dedicated tax incentive law and the region's largest audiovisual market.
Facts First
- Valentina Maurel’s 'Forever Your Maternal Animal' is the first Costa Rican feature selected for Cannes's official Un Certain Regard section.
- Costa Rica attracted $11.2 million in audiovisual investment in 2025 through 87 international business opportunities, more than double the previous year's total.
- The country offers a tax incentive program providing up to a 90% VAT refund on local services for qualifying foreign film productions.
- The Costa Rica Media Market, the largest in Central America and the Caribbean, hosted over 900 business meetings and 50 international buyers in 2025.
- Major studios like Warner Bros. Discovery and Universal have been attracted to produce projects in the country.
What Happened
Valentina Maurel’s film 'Forever Your Maternal Animal' is playing in the Un Certain Regard section of the Cannes Film Festival, marking the first time a Costa Rican feature has been selected for the festival's official competition. This follows the 2019 selection of Sofía Quirós's 'Land of Ashes' for the Cannes Critics’ Week sidebar. The milestone coincides with reported growth in the country's film industry, which attracted $11.2 million in audiovisual investment through 87 international business opportunities in 2025, more than double the 41 opportunities from the previous year.
Why this Matters to You
If you work in the global film or creative industries, Costa Rica may become a more prominent location for production and co-production deals, offering new professional opportunities. The country's tax incentive program, which offers up to a 90% VAT refund on local services, could make it a more cost-effective destination for international studios, which may lead to more film and television projects being shot there. For audiences, this growth could mean seeing more stories and landscapes from Costa Rica on international screens.
What's Next
The Costa Rican film industry is likely to continue seeking international partnerships, as evidenced by projects like Neto Villalobos’s international co-production 'Love Is the Monster'. The ongoing training programs for local crews and the annual Costa Rica Media Market are positioned to further strengthen the sector's capacity and global connections.