Costa Rican Film Scores International Award

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Published on Tuesday, September 22, 2026
By the A.M. Costa Rica staff

The Costa Rican film “Abril,” directed by Costa Rican filmmaker Hernán Jiménez-García, won the Best International Feature award at the New York Latino Film Festival, which is taking place in the U.S. State of New York.

The movie tells the story of Abril, a divorced woman played by Maricarmen Merino, who struggles to reconnect with her resentful daughter, Valentina, portrayed by Lara Yuja Mora.

After Valentina moves in with her father, Julián, played by Hernán Jiménez, Abril develops a bond with Gabriel, a bartender portrayed by François Arnaud. The relationship gives her a glimpse of a life beyond motherhood.

Jiménez thanked the festival judges and the film’s crew in a social media post. “This award belongs to all the beautiful people who made ‘Abril’ possible. Thank you, New York Latino Film Festival. And thank you to the best crew in the world,” he wrote.

“Abril” competed in the international production category and was screened Sept. 18 at the Regal Union Square Theater in the Broadway theater complex in New York City, U.S.

The festival published a brief review describing the film as a story about the challenges of single motherhood, family relationships and personal rediscovery.

“When her teenage daughter announces she wants to move in with her ex-husband, Abril must navigate the wreckage of single motherhood, a complicated new romance, and her own mistakes to find peace with the imperfect life she’s built,” the festival wrote.

“As visually striking as it is quietly profound, writer/director Hernán Jiménez offers a tender and fearless portrait of motherhood that turns heartbreak into a compelling journey of rediscovery,” the review added.

Earlier this month, Jiménez, 46, presented the film in Costa Rica. The movie is now playing in Spanish in theaters across the country.

Jiménez is a film director, screenwriter, actor and stand-up comedian. He graduated from Canada's National Theatre School, studied directing at the San Francisco Art Institute and attended the film program at Columbia University's School of the Arts in New York.

His feature-film debut, “A Ojos Cerrados” (“Closed Eyes”), premiered in 2010. The film follows a successful young executive who must choose between honoring her grandmother and fulfilling an important work commitment.

One of Jiménez's most recent projects is the Netflix romantic comedy “Love Hard,” starring Nina Dobrev. The film premiered in 2021 and follows a young woman who travels to her online crush's hometown for Christmas, only to discover that she has been catfished.

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Costa Rican film productions have gained international recognition. In May, Costa Rican actresses Daniela Marín and Mariangel Villegas won the Best Emerging Talent award for their performances in the Costa Rican film Forever Your Maternal Animal, which premiered at the 79th Cannes Film Festival in France.

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What Costa Rican film have you seen? We would like to know your thoughts on this story. Send your comments to news@amcostarica.com