Costa Rica has selected Land of Ashes / Ceniza negra, the debut feature by Sofía Quirós Ubeda to represent the country in the competition for best international feature film at the 2021 Oscars, becoming the ninth Costa Rican Oscar contender since the Central American nation first submitted a candidate in 2005.
The film, which had its world premiere in the Critics’ Week selection at the 2019 Cannes Film Festival, follows teenager Selva, who lives in a Caribbean coastal town. After the sudden disappearance of her only motherly figure, Selva is the only one left to take care of her grandfather, who doesn’t want to live anymore. Between mysterious shadows and wild games, she debates whether helping her grandfather achieve his desire, even though this might mean going through her last moments of childhood alone.
