The Altar Boy, The Priest and The Gardener / El monaguillo, el cura y el jardinero, directed by Juan Manuel Fernández, has been announced as Costa Rica’s official entry in the Best International Feature competition for the 98th Academy Awards. The film had its world premiere at the 13th Costa Rica International Film Festival last June.
The documentary feature follows the testimonies and search for justice of two men who were sexually abused as children by the priest Mauricio Víquez Lizano. Their testimony sparks an unprecedented scandal in Costa Rica, forcing the priest to flee and turning him into a fugitive wanted by the law and Interpol.
The Altar Boy, the Priest and the Gardener marks Costa Rica’s 14th submission to the Academy Awards, though the country has yet to receive a nomination. The film is also competing for Best Documentary Feature.
