The first female filmmaker in Central America: Patricia Howell, on a life of defending women’s rights and pioneering national cinema in Costa Rica

Patricia Howell broke into the Costa Rican film scene when being a filmmaker in Central America was unthinkable for anyone, and more so for a politically active and sexually diverse woman. With her groundbreaking fiction works Íntima Raíz (1984) and Lobas (2015), Patricia developed a career that spans four decades and dozens of fiction and documentary films, and has paved the way for a national cinema told from a female perspective. In this chapter, we explore the influences, main themes and methods used by Patricia in her screenplays and how activism for women’s rights became her main goal in life through motion pictures. We also review the impact that Patricia’s work has had on younger generations of Costa Rican female screenwriters and directors, and how her work has affected the country’s cultural laws to promote more women creators whose voices will be heard, thanks in part to her pioneering work.

Keywords: Central American ; cinema ; diversity ; female ; pioneering ; screenwriting