Private Project

Escape to Costa Rica - JUNGLE STORY

The episode of the trilogy Escape to Costa Rica. The Costa Rica jungle is home to over half a million species. It hides unseen mysteries of life, only a fraction of which have ever been discovered by humans. Most of the creatures that the creators captured during their journey display exceptional abilities – basilisks that can run across the surface of water, frogs that change into leaves, sloths that live largely upside-down, and Atta leafcutter ants, whose antibiotic production would be the envy of any pharmaceutical giant. Equally worthy of attention are the feathered denizens of the jungle, such as toucans and tanagers, and macaws, which Project Ara works tirelessly to rescue and use to repopulate their territory. Costa Ricans are well aware of their extraordinary natural wealth, and they protect their treasure with an exceptional range of national parks and protected areas. The jungle can, however, be dangerous. It’s a test for anybody who wishes to explore it – the jungle will try their determination, courage, and ability to observe, listen, and blend in. The reward is unexpected self-knowledge.

  • Libor Spacek
    Director
  • Petra Dolezalova
    Writer
  • Libor Spacek
    Writer
  • Escape to Nature: Petra Dolezalova
    Producer
  • Co-producer: Ceska televize
    Producer
  • Project Title (Original Language):
    PŘÍBĚH PRALESA
  • Project Type:
    Documentary, Television, Other
  • Genres:
    Wildlife, Nature, Jungle, Animals, Rainforest, Costa Rica
  • Runtime:
    52 minutes
  • Completion Date:
    November 1, 2018
  • Production Budget:
    200,000 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    Czech Republic
  • Country of Filming:
    Costa Rica
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital, 4K
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
Distribution Information
  • Escape to Nature
    Country: Worldwide
    Rights: All Rights
  • Ceska televize
    Country: Czech Republic
    Country: Slovakia
Director Biography - Libor Spacek

In 2008, together with Petra Dolezalova, Libor started a great project called „Escape to Nature“, which is actually a number of independant projects. They finished their first project, called „Escape to Mauritius“ in August 2009. The making of this travel documentary was followed through with a large- format photography exhibition.

Their first documentary was exceptionally succesful. It was awarded as the second best film at the 42nd International Film Festival Tourfilm Karlovy Vary and became the best Czech film at the Festival!

This succes was followed in 2009 by an underwater video „Oscar“ for “Underwater Opera“ at the International Short Film Festival in Great Britain.

„Escape to Tahiti and Her Islands“, the second episode of the project, was finished in March 2011. And again, this documentary received many awards at International Film Festivals both in the Czech Republic and abroad.

„Escape to Saint Lucia“, the third episode of the serie, was finished in January 2013. This documentary filmed in the Carribean was also very succesful at many International Film Festivals.

„Escape to Vanuatu“ was the forth episode, also garning plenty of international awards.

The most succesful film of the series thus far, „Escape to Papua New Guinea“, was introduced in 2015. Premiering at NYU in New York City it was won awards at international film festivals in Germany, Portugal, Bulgaria, France, the USA, Poland and more.

In April 2015 the latest, sixth episode of the series – „Escape to Maldives“. The festival premier took place again in New York where it received „The Best Award“ at the Wildlife Conservation Film Festival.

At the beginning of 2018, the new project Escape to Costa Rica trilogy is completed. These three new documentaries are filmed in 4K resolution.
The titles of the episodes:
"CONNECTED WITH THE EARTH"
"JUNGLE STORY"
"THE CALL OF THE OCEAN"

Add Director Biography
Director Statement

Our last documentaries of the series Escape to Nature received more than 70 awards at the international film festivals around the world. For the new documentaries we have changed the whole concepts of the production and have produced new documentaries not only in other way and higher quality, but also more focused on the individual themes of nature. Since that production about Costa Rica we'll shoot all the films in 4K resolution also. We place emphasis on careful selection of music composers for our films who composes music according the pictures and the stories. I can not forget the excellent commentary on individual films by my partner Petra Dolezalova.
We produce documentaries on nature conservation, marine life and wildlife. The main focus is on the last beautiful places of our planet. "What we have today, you do not have to have tomorrow. When we lose our life underwater, all the animals and humans will cease and nothing will live above the water".