Fantastic Lab Central America & Caribbean announced six finalists and one grand prize winner at the Cannes Fantastic Pavilion.
The grand prize, presented by Baby Atómica, one of Fantastic Lab’s partners, goes to “We Won’t Let the Goat Die” (“No dejaremos que muera la cabra”), a co-production featuring Costa Rica, Peru, and Panama and produced by variety talent and DoP Nicholas Wong (“La Llorona,” “Love is the Monster”).
As part of the award, Baby Atomica will give director Felipe Zuniga and Wong the opportunity to film a proof of concept with the team in Costa Rica.
Zuniga was the producer of “Love is the Monster” and the first commercial director for a number of acclaimed Central American films, including “Clara Sola” and “Beloved Tropic.”
This fantasy drama tells the story of 10-year-old Bernardo, who clings fiercely to his mother while secretly caring for an injured baby goat deep in the rainforest after his father’s death. But when he witnesses an ocelot feeding his young the same animal under a mysterious glowing orb, he realizes that love and violence stem from the very same instincts.
Launched at last year’s inaugural Costa Rica Media Market in partnership with Grupo Morbido, Fantastic Lab Central America and the Caribbean, coordinated by Costa Rican Film Commissioner Maricela Zamora and Grupo Morbido CEO Pablo Guisa, conducted an open call and attracted 55 projects from across the region. Fifteen of these films were selected as part of the first phase, working closely with Grupo Morbido, led by Guisa, and genre filmmaker Adrian García Bogreano (Night of the Wolves), who was also his mentor.
The six finalists include one project from El Salvador, two projects from the Dominican Republic, one project from Honduras co-produced with Mexico and Spain, and two projects from Costa Rica. Collectively, they reflect the region’s strong penchant for political genre films, turning horror into a language of memory, history, and living social tensions. They plan to pitch the project at the Costa Rican Media Market in July.
“This award-winning Fantastic Lab project demonstrates the growth and evolution of fantastic cinema in Central America and the Caribbean. This initiative, developed by the Fantastic Pavilion at the Cannes Marché du Film in partnership with the Costa Rican Media Market, will help strengthen talent development, foster collaborative networks, and increase opportunities for regional creators to connect with the international audiovisual industry,” said Laura López, General Manager of the Costa Rica Foreign Trade Promotion Agency.
“The first edition of Fantastic Lab Costa Rica was a huge success, and it was truly inspiring to watch the project grow through online workshops under the guidance of our advisors. The diversity of themes, countries, and subgenres represented says everything about how historically and culturally vibrant Central America and the Caribbean is as a region. Fantastic Lab doesn’t just showcase that, it takes it to another level. The Pavilion’s purpose is to: Support and enrich genre communities in all parts of the world. ”
6 finalists:
“Cacao Tea” (“Té de Cacao”), Marcia Isabel Arenas Viquez, Costa Rica, Spain, Mexico.
This psychological horror drama follows Alexa, a woman who returns to Costa Rica with her partner in search of a connection to her ancestors in a spiritual retreat that promises healing and authenticity. But as questionable treatments and disturbing postcolonial rituals blur the line between health and manipulation, Alexa begins to uncover the sinister forces hidden beneath the retreat’s seductive facade. Produced by Sofia Mesa Herrera of Blue Paradox Films.
“Cacao Tea” Provided by: Fantastic Lab Central America
“Echoes” (“Ekos”), Chris Gauthier, Dominican Republic.
Gothic horror fantasy. The story follows historian Catalina and her girlfriend Salome as they discover a mysterious artifact on a colonial sugar plantation and are transported back to the 17th century. There they relive a tragic romance between an enslaved woman and the governor’s daughter, two lovers who share a face. As past and present fall apart, the couple must confront inherited trauma, forbidden desires, and haunting cycles that their home refuses to let die. Lead produced by Reclaimed Ent. Co-produced with Lampante Film.
“Greetings from Maryland” (“Saludos desde Maryland”), Ricardo Batz, El Salvador.
This horror film follows a group of undocumented American immigrant workers who unwittingly unleash a cursed entity as they demolish an abandoned home. As the entity begins to hunt them down one by one, the film blends supernatural horror with the precarity, exploitation, and invisibility of immigrant labor. Produced by Cayaguanca Films.
“Macheteros” Daniel Emilio Oramas, Dominican Republic.
This horror movie featuring the creature plunges into the jungles of the Dominican Republic. There, a group of road workers battling harsh conditions encounter Siguapa. The Ciguapa is a terrifying figure from local folklore who has hind legs and the power to possess men with his gaze. Blending survival horror, environmental tension, and class conflict, the film reinterprets Dominican mythology as a savage tale of revenge and “the law of the fittest.” Produced by Angelica Perez-Castro.
“The Fire Within” (“El Fuego Interior”), Javier Suazo Mejia, Honduras, Mexico, Spain.
Produced by Zumo, Fosforito Films, El Médano, and Aída Herrerias, this supernatural horror film is set on a Caribbean island and tells the story of a successful priest who returns to his hometown after his adopted brother dies of spontaneous combustion. As he investigates a mysterious death, he uncovers buried family secrets and awakens a terrifying force that threatens to consume everything around him.
“The Fire Within” by Fantastic Lab Central America
“What Comes With the Storm” (“Lo que trae la tormenta”), Miguel Ángel Ferrer, Costa Rica, USA
The creature’s horror film tells the story of a reclusive ex-military doctor who protects a desperate mother and daughter as a deadly hurricane ravages the Caribbean, only to discover that a terrifying creature has followed them into their home. Trapped in a storm, he must fight both the monsters stalking his home and the darkness within himself to survive the night. Produced by La Pajara Cine and Magic Film. Produced by Dinga Haynes.
“What Comes With The Storm” by Fantastic Lab Central America
