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I present to you the man from Costa Rica with a vision. From my 1st tour there, Produciones del Gafeto / Federico and others promoted me, filmed me, introduced me to people, threw a event but most of all became one of my best friends in the world. But we are interviewing him because he is an amazing artist who does a lot with very little. From filming Elephant Man, Sean Paul, Kemo the Blaxican, his own DVD series about youth culture in Costa Rica called Tico Stilo, to short films and even more events. He even has a video running on MTV right now. They threw the 1st hip hop event in Costa Rica, got me on National TV, Radio and so much more You can check his films on YouTube under - Gafeto TV.

My friend and brother in the struggle, movie and video maker, “best man in my wedding,” and organizer, how is life today in Costa Rica?

Changing a lot really fast. We lost the peace we had 15 years ago, now every week somebody gets shot over a cellphone or a 15 year old kid gets killed by other Narcos but the worst is not the crime in the streets but the crimes of the politics against our own people. Now the crime is higher then ever because of increase of poverty, and the collapse of education, the few opportunities for the poor to succeed also the media prophetizing materalism , and the population is blind…. dead penalty or more jails for these kind that got no future anyway instead of analyzing the problem for what it is and find real solutions..more police, gun and jails just make it worse.. like fabelas in Brazil, or Maras in Salvador and Honduras...it becomes a war, new generations is willing to do anything if they’re pushed. If kids got no future they will shoot you for your wallet. We need to take care of the people, give them education and tools to succeed in life, otherwise its going to become a war, rich against poor, young against old, its started already, its always easier to blame the poor kids for crime..people dont care till it hits you or your family..and then they want revenge... The last 20 years Costa Rica society has been rotten because of corruption in government promoting corruption in culture, TV and newspapers is the worst, promoting only their interests and helping them to sell the country. But there’s still a lot of people fighting for change, so there’s still hope.

sk8 video costa rica

Producciones del Gafeto 2000

dir. Federico Peixoto

Esteban Quesada & Huber Araya

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 Well said and the fact that you are an artist with heart, makes it powerful to show support for real people like yourself. Now you have made short films, music videos and your skate series, Tico Stilo, which is known all over Central and South America. Out of all of these, which do you prefer to make?

I like everything but the main goal is to do movies. The world has not yet seen real Costa Ricans on big screen. I want to the tell stories from our point of view, so kids become more proud to be what they are, the only role models we have in movies is always white blue eyed heroes, Latinos are always criminal, hoes or cleaning service in Hollywood movies, and Ticos have no reference in movies since we got only a few and people don’t get to see them. Since Costa Rica is a really small country with a low population, there isn’t a developed local film industry, also almost no support from the government, the laws regarding TV and local production are old and benefit only the few big local networks, and they have no interest in support of local production. For them it is always cheaper to buy a TV series from elsewhere, with no local production- the culture doesn’t grow and it affects the identity of the country on every level. Almost every movie done here is a "one man effort" and with no recovery of investment whatsoever. It’s slowly changing, and there’s a new generation making it happen with help of new cheaper digital technologies and international collaboration.

You are living testament of doing a lot with very little. Come on brother, we edited a video in 2 hours, ran it down to the TV station and premiered it in the capital city, San Jose. Like I said, you are living proof ! Tell me about the the vibe when you were on tour with Jamaica’s Sean Paul, Elephant Man and Mr.Vegas?

It was fun. My friend DJ Cole was also performing at the show as the local DJ, he called me cause he wanted me to help him film artist big ups (shout outs ) so he could use it in his mixes, I ended up doing a behind the scene documentary. The part where they were freestyling at the old 103 radio building with everybody in the street watching with all the radios on. The vibe was ill. Elephant Man killed it.. I had the most fun hanging out with the Demus Family. They remind me of pirates, Jamaican bucanners that walk, talk and dressed like modern pirates. The real pirates of the Caribbean!..Sean Paul is very cool too, down to earth..this was just before he went huge in 2002 I think, so most of the attention was on Elephant..we hung out with Sean Paul and the Demus at the hotel filming freestyles, smokin, talking to the radio live on the phone and then following day radio visits, the show at the "Palacio de los Deportes in Heredia", it was really fun. It’s always inspiring to see amazing talent performing in your face. It’s music history happening in front of your eyes. It’s cool to be part of that and capture the moment for the future.

 Sting Festival Costa Rica behind the scenes
dir Federico Peixoto
Producciones del Gafeto Costa Rica 2002
Gafetotv
Featuring: Sean Paul, Elephant Man, Demus Family, Harry Todler, Mr Vegas

I know you are well traveled, if you could travel anywhere to film, where would like to film?

Anywhere and everywhere. Africa, Asia, South America, the Islands in the Caribbean, anywhere! I love culture, people and places and I want to see as much as I can, not as a tourist but as a traveler. It is always a humbling experience and a internal journey into yourself as well. I want to show in my movies how much we are all connected and how much everything affects everything. We can no longer keep on with the madness. Realize everything is alive. We need to change in order to survive. We live in a dark age, people think we live in civilized times because of technology but it’s not like that at all, people are suffering all over so a few millionaires can live in absolute waste, and still a lot of people don’t see it. We got enormous power in our hands yet people decide not to use it. Still hypnotized by the media and their lies, the information is out there but people decide to keep on with the lie. Waste and madness, the more people are aware of the next neighbors problems, the more we going to change.

How have recent U.S. backed laws affected Costa Rica and other countries?

Its like their imposing their lifestyle to us and killing our culture. It’s the politics also. They say we need "progress" and they are constructing buildings at the beaches and malls everywhere, now we have problems with pollution and deforestation also poverty and bad administration with the land and many others. TLC and CAFCA are just new ways of slavery, you need poor in order to have rich. They know about the richness we have in nature and the water and they want it. With no servants there is no rich, they want the poor to remain poor and ignorant. There’s plenty in this planet for everyone, but there’s always someone who wants more, the grass is always greener in your neighbors yard, so they say..till we learn that everything affects everything, it is always going to be the same. We can’t get away with it, karma is the natural law and I am not talking about the US. I am talking about anyone in a situation with power to help, but chooses to destroy because of greed. Look at China in Tibet and the US in Iraq, it is the same thing. As Jehuniko says "Estoy contra Avaricia".

When are we going to premier the “Time Traveler” video?

Time Traveler by Jehuniko video is unfinished. We need to film more, we have only like 50% or less of the footage...We only had two days of shooting during a visit of Jehu and Binx in Costa Rica, but they where also getting married the same days so we had less time...The story of the video (based on the song) is a love story, Jehuniko is trying to find his wife Binx in different ages and he gets lost in time..during his quest he sees visions of torture and killings of his ancestors in the past and the same thing all over again in the "present" time. This song is so good that it deserves a really good video, otherwise is not going to live up to the message, so I want to wait till we get the chance to shoot what we need to finish.

Jehuniko’s “el animal humano”

dir Federico Peixoto

Producciones del Gafeto

Music wise- who is popular out there? I remember going to a club with you and everyone was going wild to that 1 Elephant Man song, everyone doing a crazy dance. Either Dancehall or metal are the most popular it seemed……

Costa Rica is small populated country but exposed a lot to outside influences. There’s a enormous mix in population, you find almost any underground street scene in Costa Rica, darks (Gothic?), punk rock, rocksteady, cumbia, latin, skaters, electronic musica is big (most famous DJ’s have performed in Costa Rican clubs), lots of local DJ’s, metal is big, lots of bands, dancehall and reggae because of the Caribbean influence. Jamaican music is always big in Costa Rica. Many Costa Ricans have Jamaican descendents, most of the big Jamaican artists have performed in Costa Rica, also rock and metal are big here with lots of bands since the 70s (not many recorded albums or lasted long). Not long ago Iron Maiden performed in front of thousands of Ticos from 3 generations...Hip hop also, but there are not many performances. More B boys and graffiti and there are lots of good musicians from jazz to classical music to whatever ..Even Ruben Blades came to recruit "Ticos" in his orquestra and won a Grammy after, but there’s no support and only a few artist make it outside, most of them in Mexico, almost no artist can make a living in Costa Rica only doing art, they need a "real" job too, as people say here.

Costa Rican hardcore band, Teatromocracia

en vivo en el teatro squene

dir federico peixoto producciones del gafeto costa rica

hard core costa rica

Producciones del Gafeto

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Tell us about some of the craziest experiences you’ve had, while filming.

Always the movie behind the movie is always better...when you’re shooting videos with no money, you always get mixed up in crazy situations!...I had crazy experiences while filming, especially because we shoot guerrilla style ..most of the time with no permission, depending on what we are doing. One time we were recording a short scene in the railroad tracks near my house in Curridabat. I was acting as a "chapulin" pointing a fake gun in an actors head while my friend Erick was filming. It was remote location and somebody spotted us and called the police. Costa Ricans now live in a paranoia because of the high crime rate even when they saw the camera and the film crew, they where about shoot us. This was one week after a police officer was killed in the area so they had blood in their eyes still...There are many stories, but lucky for me I am still here to tell. The movie behind the movie is always better...ask Godar.

Top 5 movies, songs, that inspire you to create.

Inspiration is everywhere..sometimes a song, sometimes a movie or place.. it’s always something different depends on the situation or mode. I love music, everything-old school latin music like son, mambo, boleros etc...reggae, dancehall, punk rock music, hip hop, classical, jazz..everything is connected, everything influences everything. That’s why I love living in this part of the world, so many cultures mixed, besides all the suffering, wonderful things come out of it too. I love to live in a place where magic still exists in the culture and you feel it in the air... old traditions mixed and hidden in culture, ancient cities under us waiting to tell their stories in forgotten languages of our ancestors. Inspiration is in the air, you just need to listen.

dir. Federico Peixoto

Producciones del Gafeto

Actuacion Edgar Richards

Costa Rica

copyright 2003

“watch this man jump off an old train bridge, get back up and walk away”

Current projects? What future goals do you have?

I have several proyects going on, mostly short films that I want to do and a large one also soon. Also to make GafetoTV a real network online with help from more people. I have a scrip about Narcos in Costa Rica- very interesting I know people will like to see it, the real side from our point of view. And many other ideas for movies when I get the chance. Peace Thanks Jehuniko!

www.gafetotv.com
Arte de la Calle
Capitulo 1 profile Kier Defstar
homenaje a Jappy Kehr Darkings
graffiti Costa Rica/salt lake city
producciones del gafeto 2007
dir. Federico Peixoto
“the homie Kier, a dope painter putting it down in Costa Rica”