DOCUMENTARY SCREENING

Come and enjoy the four short films made by the students of the Costa Rica Documentary Summer School in 2025

Free Entrance and Free Strawberry Daiquiris

6.30-8.00 pm

Thursday 26th February 2026

Common Ground

Institute of Advanced Studies, South Junction

University College London, Gower Street

London WC1E 6BT

DOCUMENTARY FILMS:

Tomar café con la lengua (Drinking Coffee with your tongue)

Aryah Khan, Emma Thomas, Esther Nedialkova, Kheyla Castro, Nivetha Nandakumar

LENGHT: 10 minutes

SYNOPSIS: A short documentary on the preservation of the ancient Bribri language through the eyes of Ali Garcia - a professor of linguistics at the University of Costa Rica and member of the Bribri community. Sent to San Jose by his community in the 1970s, he has since been devoted to keeping the Bribri tongue alive and transcribing the oral history.

Enterrado en la Arena (Buried in the Sand)

Theresia Schwab, Amani Palmer-Peters, Jasmine Lidher, Isaiah Smith, Ella Leboff, Catherine Coto

LENGTH: 10 minutes

SYNOPSIS: Set along the coast of Costa Rica, this documentary places the reality of climate change at its centre. Through an intimate exploration of the community of Caldera in Puntarenas, the film examines the escalating threats of flooding and the potential for future climate catastrophe. Composed of interviews with local residents, climate researchers and UN officials, a vivid portrait is created of the communities who are likely to be displaced by extreme flooding. The film fosters a growing sense of urgency in the face of limited government response, capturing the resilience of those who are fighting to preserve their homes and livelihoods. As both a warning and a call to action, this documentary highlights the global coastal crisis that can no longer be ignored.

Pura Vida

Hannah Kehoe, Heddwen Campbell, Elifsu Sakiroglu, Mariana Rojas

LENGTH: 11 minutes

SYNOPSIS: Set in Costa Rica, this short documentary explores the iconic phrase “Pura Vida” as both a lived philosophy and a marketable myth, tracing how its ideals of simplicity, harmony, and well-being intersect with the realities of mass tourism. Through intimately portrayed interviews, observational footage, and a poetic visual reflection, the film reveals how “Pura Vida” is celebrated, commodified, and at times hollowed out by development pressures that strain ecosystems and local communities. By framing Pura Vida as an allegory, the documentary questions whether a culture built around the uniqueness and beauty of the countries’ eco-system can survive an industry driven by extraction and excess, inviting viewers to reflect on the true cost of paradise and what a sustainable future actually looks like.

Portrait of the Forty Percent

Ella Leboff, Cecilia Di Via, Kunmiao Duan, Adelaide Im, Dana Vargas

LENGTH: 12 minutes

SYNOPSIS: Focusing on the generational lives of single mothers in the Tirrases, a community in the outskirts of San José, Portrait of the Forty Percent explores questions of female agency, familial relationships, and support provided to Costa Rican women experiencing single motherhood. Seen through the family of grandmother Anna Lucia, mother Anna Jancy, and son Said, a blend of single mothers’ stories - their passions, pain and culture are heard through this poetic documentary.

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THE COSTA RICA DOCUMENTARY SUMMER SCHOOL IS A PROJECT JOINTLY RUN BY UCL, UCR, AUB AND THE UNIVERSITY OF WESTMINSTER.