Filmmaker Seeks Lost Voices of Costa Rica

Natalia Solórzano Vásquez is developing a hybrid documentary titled "Spells to Revive a Witch," a project that has secured partnerships with Spain's Testaferro and Uruguay's Guay Films. Produced by Costa Rica's Sputnik Films, the film is set to be presented at the Costa Rica Media Market, running July 14-15.

The documentary focuses on Soralla de Persia, a once-famous Costa Rican fortune teller from the 1960s who has since faded from collective memory. Vásquez discovered Soralla while researching women featured in Costa Rican media, noting her striking disappearance from historical recall.

"Spells to Revive a Witch" will serve as a platform for women to invoke Soralla's spirit through their recollections and interpretations. The director emphasizes that the film explores the broader theme of women whose lives are overlooked and not preserved, drawing parallels to her own family members.

Producer Mariana Murillo highlighted the collaborative effort to examine a female character through a performative and feminist lens. Vásquez finds memory fascinating due to its incomplete nature, acknowledging that it transforms the past. The film investigates the space where memory, imagination, and lived experiences intersect, especially when only fragments remain.

Vásquez expressed pride in being part of Costa Rica's emerging generation of female filmmakers, including Valentina Maurel and Sofía Quirós Ubeda. She notes the supportive environment within Costa Rican cinema, where diverse voices are increasingly sharing previously untold stories, questioning and expanding the national narrative with new cinematic languages.

The project has benefited from development through initiatives like the Rueda Program of the Spanish Film Academy, CIMA Impulsa, and Ventana Sur's Proyecta.