Pedro Costa
Biography
Pedro Costa is a Portuguese film director. While studying history at University of Lisbon, Costa switched to film courses at Lisbon Theatre and Film School (Escola Superior de Teatro e Cinema) where he was a student of António Reis, Paulo Rocha and Alberto Seixas Santos. After working as an assistant director to several directors such as Jorge Silva Melo, Vítor Gonçalves and João Botelho, he made a first feature film O Sangue (The Blood) in 1989. He collected the France Culture Award (Foreign Cineaste of the Year) at 2002 Cannes Film Festival for directing the film In Vanda's Room. Colossal Youth was selected for the 2006 Cannes Film Festival and earned the Independent/Experimental prize (Los Angeles Film Critics Association) in 2008. He is considered to be part of "The School of Reis" film family. António Reis, Portuguese director, was his teacher at the Lisbon Theatre and Film School. Peter Bradshaw of The Guardian called Pedro Costa "the Samuel Beckett of cinema". He is acclaimed for using his ascetic style to depict the marginalised people in desperate living situations. Many of his films are set in a district of Lisbon inhabited by socially disadvantaged and shot in a natural and low-key way in documentary format: some are docufictions.
Personal Details
Movies (40)
Fire of Wind
Producer (Production)
2025
Where do you come from, Silence
Art Direction (Art)
2025
The Daughters of Fire
Director (Directing)
2023
Uncertain Path
2021
Chekhov's The Cherry Orchard
Sound Designer (Sound)
2021
Vitalina Varela
Director (Directing)
2019
Sacavém: The Films of Pedro Costa
as Himself
2019
Wiara
as Himself
2018
How I Fell in Love with Eva Ras
Thanks (Crew)
2016
Horse Money
Director (Directing)
2014
Historic Centre
Director of Photography (Camera)
2012
Sweet Exorcist
Director (Directing)
2012
Alto Cutelo
Director (Directing)
2012
Our Man
Director (Directing)
2010
Change Nothing
Director (Directing)
2009
The 13 Roses
Producer (Production)
2007
Memories
Story (Writing)
2007
The State of the World
Director (Directing)
2007
The Rabbit Hunters
Director (Directing)
2007
Tarrafal
Director (Directing)
2007
Colossal Youth
Director (Directing)
2006
All Blossoms Again: Pedro Costa, Director
2006
Minino macho, Minino fêmea
Director (Directing)
2006
Change Nothing
Director (Directing)
2005
Where Does Your Hidden Smile Lie?
Director (Directing)
2003
The End of a Love Affair
Director (Directing)
2003
6 Bagatelas
Director (Directing)
2001
Cinéma, de notre temps: Danièle Huillet, Jean-Marie Straub - cinéastes
Director (Directing)
2001
In Vanda's Room
Director (Directing)
2001
Dialogues clandestins 2001
2001
9'8m/s²
as Policía 1.
1998
Ossos
Director (Directing)
1997
Casa de Lava
Director (Directing)
1995
Atlântida: Do Outro Lado do Espelho
Editor (Editing)
1994
Blood
Director (Directing)
1989
Agosto
Assistant Director (Directing)
1988
A Girl in Summer
Assistant Director (Directing)
1986
Hovering Over the Water
Props (Art)
1986
A Portuguese Farewell
Assistant Director (Directing)
1986
É Tudo Invenção Nossa
Director (Directing)
1984
