The 2019 Locarno Film Festival awarded the Golden Leopard for Best Film to Vitalina Varela, a project helmed by Lisbon-born filmmaker Pedro Costa. His career spans decades of work as a screenwriter, cinematographer, and director, primarily documenting the lives of impoverished residents living in the Fontainhas slum on the outskirts of the Portuguese capital.
Early Career and Training
Before transitioning to feature filmmaking, Costa pursued academic studies in history at the University of Lisbon. He entered the industry by assisting established directors including João Botelho, Vítor Gonçalves, and Jorge Silva Melo. His aesthetic foundations were shaped by his tenure at the Lisbon Theatre and Film School under the mentorship of António Reis. This association connected him to the 'School of Reis' film tradition, while his documentary Where Does Your Hidden Smile Lie? captured his later study under the director duo Straub-Huillet.
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Take the IQ test →The Fontainhas Sequence
Beginning with the 1997 release of Ossos, Costa focused his creative output on the Fontainhas neighbourhood. His films shifted from traditional narrative structures to docufiction, employing non-professional actors from the community to play fictionalized versions of themselves. Recurring subjects appear throughout this period, most notably the character of Ventura, who anchors the films Colossal Youth and Horse Money. This cycle of works evolved from low-resolution digital footage into highly stylized, museum-quality compositions.
Awards and Recognition
Costa received international critical attention throughout his career, beginning with his debut feature O Sangue in 1989. He won the Prix France Culture Cinéma in 2002 for In Vanda's Room, which was honoured at the Cannes Film Festival. Further accolades include the Independent/Experimental prize from the Los Angeles Film Critics Association for Colossal Youth in 2008 and the Annual award ACFK in 2013. His work continues to be recognized at prestigious festivals, highlighted by the Best Director prize at the 2014 Locarno Film Festival for Horse Money.
Public Advocacy
Beyond his directorial work, Costa has engaged in collective political action. In December 2023, he joined over 50 filmmakers in a public letter published in Libération requesting a ceasefire and humanitarian aid corridors regarding the conflict in the Gaza Strip. In early 2024, he also participated in a collective effort alongside 300 industry professionals to protest proposed funding cuts to the Argentine film agency INCAA.
Fast facts
- Born: 1959, Lisbon
- Citizenship: Portugal
- Education: University of Lisbon
- Employer: Tokyo Zokei University
- First Feature Film: O Sangue (1989)
- Languages: Portuguese
Questions readers ask
What is the primary setting of Pedro Costa's films?
The majority of his films, specifically those produced after 1997, are set in the Fontainhas slum in the Greater Lisbon Area.
Does Pedro Costa use professional actors?
No, he frequently casts non-professional actors, often residents of the communities he depicts, to play versions of their own lives.
Achievements
- Worked as film director, screenwriter and film editor
