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{{Other people}}
{{Other people}}
{{Infobox person
{{Infobox person
| name = Pedro Costa
| name = Pedro Costa
| image =
| image = Pedro Costa (2020).jpg
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|df=y|1958|12|30}}
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|df=y|1958|12|30}}
| birth_place = [[Lisbon]], [[Portugal]]
| birth_place = Lisbon, Portugal
| death_date =
| nationality = [[Portuguese people|Portuguese]]
| death_date =
| death_place =
| alma_mater = [[University of Lisbon]]<br>[[Lisbon Theatre and Film School]]
| death_place =
| occupation = [[Film director]], [[screenwriter]]
| occupation = [[Film director]], [[screenwriter]]
| years_active = 1984–present
| known_for =
| spouse =
| known_for =
| website =
| spouse =
| footnotes =
| website =
| children =
| footnotes =
| children =
}}
}}
'''Pedro Costa''' (born 30 December 1958)<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.jn.pt/PaginaInicial/Interior.aspx?content_id=967109|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20160305011124/http://www.jn.pt/PaginaInicial/Interior.aspx?content_id=967109|title=Prémios Gulbenkian: Realizador Pedro Costa distinguido na categoria Arte|date=11 July 2008|newspaper=[[Jornal de Notícias]]|access-date=18 December 2015|quote=Pedro Costa nasceu em Lisboa, 30 de Dezembro de 1958.|language=pt|archivedate=5 March 2016}}</ref> is a Portuguese [[film director]].
'''Pedro Costa''' (born 30 December 1958)<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.jn.pt/PaginaInicial/Interior.aspx?content_id=967109|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160305011124/http://www.jn.pt/PaginaInicial/Interior.aspx?content_id=967109|title=Prémios Gulbenkian: Realizador Pedro Costa distinguido na categoria Arte|date=11 July 2008|newspaper=[[Jornal de Notícias]]|access-date=18 December 2015|quote=Pedro Costa nasceu em Lisboa, 30 de Dezembro de 1958.|language=pt|archive-date=5 March 2016}}</ref> is a Portuguese [[film director]]. He is best known for his sequence of films set in Lisbon,<ref>{{Cite web |title=Letters from Fontainhas: Three Films by Pedro Costa |url=https://www.criterion.com/boxsets/704-letters-from-fontainhas-three-films-by-pedro-costa |access-date=2022-10-15 |website=The Criterion Collection |language=en}}</ref> which focuses on the lives of the impoverished residents of a slum in the Fontainhas neighbourhood.


==Biography==
==Biography==
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 (film director)|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.
After completing a degree in history from the University of Lisbon, Costa worked as an assistant for Jorge Silva Melo, Vítor Gonçalves and João Botelho.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Pedro Costa {{!}} IFFR |url=https://iffr.com/en/persons/pedro-costa |access-date=2022-10-15 |website=iffr.com}}</ref> He released his debut film ''[[O Sangue]]'' at the age of 30.


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 (film)|Colossal Youth]]'' was selected for the [[2006 Cannes Film Festival]]<ref name="cannes-2006.com">{{cite web|url=http://www.festival-cannes.com/en/archives/ficheFilm/id/4360212/year/2006.html|title=Festival de Cannes: Colossal Youth|accessdate=2009-12-13|work=festival-cannes.com}}</ref> and earned the Independent/Experimental prize (Los Angeles Film Critics Association) in 2008.
Costa's films would receive acclaim from critics consistently throughout his career. He collected the France Culture Award (Foreign Cineaste of the Year) at [[2002 Cannes Film Festival]] for directing ''[[In Vanda's Room]]''. ''[[Colossal Youth (film)|Colossal Youth]]'' was selected for the [[2006 Cannes Film Festival]]<ref name="cannes-2006.com">{{cite web|url=http://www.festival-cannes.com/en/archives/ficheFilm/id/4360212/year/2006.html|title=Festival de Cannes: Colossal Youth|access-date=2009-12-13|work=festival-cannes.com}}</ref> and earned the Independent/Experimental prize (Los Angeles Film Critics Association) in 2008. [[Horse Money]] was awarded the [[Locarno Festival|Leopard]] for Best Director in 2014, while his [[Vitalina Varela]] was awarded the [[Locarno Festival|Gold Leopard]] for Best Film in 2019.


==Style and influences==
==Style and influences==
He is considered to be part of "[[The School of Reis]]" film family. [[Antonio Reis|António Reis]], Portuguese director, was his teacher at the [[Lisbon Theatre and Film School]].
He is considered to be part of "[[The School of Reis]]" film family. [[Antonio Reis|António Reis]], Portuguese director, was his teacher at the [[Lisbon Theatre and Film School]].

His menteeship under directors [[Straub–Huillet]] was explored in his 2001 documentary "Where Does Your Hidden Smile Lie?".
Stephen Whitty of Screen Daily described Costa's films as "lit like a [[Rembrandt]], [and] acted like a neo-realist classic."<ref>{{Cite web |last=Whitty2019-09-25T10:25:00+01:00 |first=Stephen |title=‘Vitalina Varela’: Review |url=https://www.screendaily.com/reviews/vitalina-varela-review/5143199.article |access-date=2022-10-16 |website=Screen |language=en}}</ref> He is acclaimed for using his [[ascetic]] style to depict marginalised people, often non-actors playing themselves, in desperate living situations. Shot on digital video and making use of non-actors, Costa's early works have been called examples of [[docufiction]]. Although continuing to collaborate with non-actors in his later works, he would gradually transition away from the low-resolution documentary style into what critic Armond White characterised as "museum-quality compositions".<ref>{{Cite web |date=2020-03-25 |title=Pedro Costa: The Rembrandt of the Ghetto |url=https://www.nationalreview.com/2020/03/movie-review-vitalina-vaerla-pedro-costa-exposes-hollywood-failed-pathos/ |access-date=2022-10-15 |website=National Review |language=en-US}}</ref>
Peter Bradshaw of ''[[The Guardian]]'' called Pedro Costa "the [[Samuel Beckett]] of cinema".<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/filmblog/2009/sep/17/pedro-costa-tate-retrospective|title=Pedro Costa, the Samuel Beckett of cinema|newspaper=The Guardian|first=Peter|last=Bradshaw|date=17 September 2009}}</ref> 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 [[docufiction]]s.

=== Fontainhas sequence ===
From the release of Ossos onwards, Costa's films have been entirely set in Fontainhas, a slum neighbourhood on the outskirts of [[Lisbon]]. His subjects, immigrants and the socially disadvantaged, feature as recurring characters throughout the sequence. One notable example is the character of Ventura, protagonist of both [[Colossal Youth (film)|Colossal Youth]] and [[Horse Money]].

==Political views==
In December 2023, alongside 50 other filmmakers, Costa signed an open letter published in ''[[Libération]]'' demanding a ceasefire and an end to the killing of civilians amid the [[Israeli invasion of the Gaza Strip (2023–present)|2023 Israeli invasion of the Gaza Strip]], and for a humanitarian corridor into Gaza to be established for humanitarian aid, and the release of hostages.<ref>{{cite news|date=28 December 2023|title=Gaza : des cinéastes du monde entier demandent un cessez-le-feu immédiat|url=https://www.liberation.fr/idees-et-debats/tribunes/gaza-des-cineastes-du-monde-entier-demandent-un-cessez-le-feu-immediat-20231228_WMAUSVJVLFEBNK4ME4XU3ZRU3M/|newspaper=[[Libération]]|language=fr|access-date=24 January 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://thefilmstage.com/claire-denis-ryusuke-hamaguchi-kiyoshi-kurosawa-christian-petzold-apichatpong-weerasethakul-more-sign-demand-for-ceasefire-in-gaza/|title=Claire Denis, Ryusuke Hamaguchi, Kiyoshi Kurosawa, Christian Petzold, Apichatpong Weerasethakul & More Sign Demand for Ceasefire in Gaza|last=Newman|first=Nick|date=29 December 2023|website=The Film Stage|access-date=24 January 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|date=31 December 2023|title=Directors of cinema sign petition for immediate ceasefire|url=https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/article-780176|newspaper=[[The Jerusalem Post]]|access-date=24 January 2024}}</ref>

In January 2024, alongside over 300 other filmmakers, producers and actors, Costa signed an open letter against the cuts to the funding of the Argentine film agency [[INCAA]] contemplated by the so-called omnibus bill.<ref>{{Cite web|website=[[La Nación]]|url=https://www.lanacion.com.ar/espectaculos/cine/de-pedro-almodovar-a-gael-garcia-bernal-referentes-del-cine-mundial-firmaron-una-carta-en-apoyo-del-nid22012024/|date=22 January 2024|title=De Pedro Almodóvar a Gael García Bernal, referentes del cine mundial firmaron una carta en apoyo del Incaa}}</ref>


==Filmography==
==Filmography==
Line 41: Line 52:
===Documentaries and shorts===
===Documentaries and shorts===
* ''Where Does Your Hidden Smile Lie?'' (2001) (documentary)
* ''Where Does Your Hidden Smile Lie?'' (2001) (documentary)
* ''State of the World'' (2007) - "Tarrafal" segment (short)
* "The End of a Love Affair" (2003) (short)
* ''Memories'' (2007) - "The Rabbit Hunters" segment (short)
* "State of the World" (2007) -''Tarrafa'' segment (short)
* "Memories" (2007) - ''The Rabbit Hunter'' segment (short)
* ''[[Change Nothing]]'' (2009) (documentary)
* ''[[Change Nothing]]'' (2009) (documentary)
* "O nosso Homem" (2010) (short)
* "Sweet Exorcist" (2012) - ''Centro Histórico'' segment (short)<ref>{{cite web|url=https://spectrumculture.com/2013/07/22/centro-historico/|title=Centro Histórico|first=Jesse|last=Cataldo|date=July 22, 2013|website=Spectrum Culture}}></ref>
* "The Daughters of Fire" (2023) (short)


===Stage Plays===
===Plays===
* ''[[The Daughters of Fire]]'' (2016)
* ''[[The Daughters of Fire]]'' (2016)


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[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Portuguese film directors]]
[[Category:Portuguese film directors]]
[[Category:People from Lisbon]]
[[Category:Mass media people from Lisbon]]
[[Category:University of Lisbon alumni]]
[[Category:University of Lisbon alumni]]
[[Category:Portuguese-language film directors]]
[[Category:Portuguese-language film directors]]

Latest revision as of 15:44, 24 April 2024

For other people named Pedro Costa, see Pedro Costa (disambiguation).
Pedro Costa
Born (1958-12-30) 30 December 1958 (age 65)
Lisbon, Portugal
Alma materUniversity of Lisbon
Lisbon Theatre and Film School
Occupation(s)Film director, screenwriter
Years active1984–present

Pedro Costa (born 30 December 1958)[1] is a Portuguese film director. He is best known for his sequence of films set in Lisbon,[2] which focuses on the lives of the impoverished residents of a slum in the Fontainhas neighbourhood.

Biography

[edit]

After completing a degree in history from the University of Lisbon, Costa worked as an assistant for Jorge Silva Melo, Vítor Gonçalves and João Botelho.[3] He released his debut film O Sangue at the age of 30.

Costa's films would receive acclaim from critics consistently throughout his career. He collected the France Culture Award (Foreign Cineaste of the Year) at 2002 Cannes Film Festival for directing In Vanda's Room. Colossal Youth was selected for the 2006 Cannes Film Festival[4] and earned the Independent/Experimental prize (Los Angeles Film Critics Association) in 2008. Horse Money was awarded the Leopard for Best Director in 2014, while his Vitalina Varela was awarded the Gold Leopard for Best Film in 2019.

Style and influences

[edit]

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.

His menteeship under directors Straub–Huillet was explored in his 2001 documentary "Where Does Your Hidden Smile Lie?".

Stephen Whitty of Screen Daily described Costa's films as "lit like a Rembrandt, [and] acted like a neo-realist classic."[5] He is acclaimed for using his ascetic style to depict marginalised people, often non-actors playing themselves, in desperate living situations. Shot on digital video and making use of non-actors, Costa's early works have been called examples of docufiction. Although continuing to collaborate with non-actors in his later works, he would gradually transition away from the low-resolution documentary style into what critic Armond White characterised as "museum-quality compositions".[6]

Fontainhas sequence

[edit]

From the release of Ossos onwards, Costa's films have been entirely set in Fontainhas, a slum neighbourhood on the outskirts of Lisbon. His subjects, immigrants and the socially disadvantaged, feature as recurring characters throughout the sequence. One notable example is the character of Ventura, protagonist of both Colossal Youth and Horse Money.

Political views

[edit]

In December 2023, alongside 50 other filmmakers, Costa signed an open letter published in Libération demanding a ceasefire and an end to the killing of civilians amid the 2023 Israeli invasion of the Gaza Strip, and for a humanitarian corridor into Gaza to be established for humanitarian aid, and the release of hostages.[7][8][9]

In January 2024, alongside over 300 other filmmakers, producers and actors, Costa signed an open letter against the cuts to the funding of the Argentine film agency INCAA contemplated by the so-called omnibus bill.[10]

Filmography

[edit]

Features

[edit]

Documentaries and shorts

[edit]
  • Where Does Your Hidden Smile Lie? (2001) (documentary)
  • "The End of a Love Affair" (2003) (short)
  • "State of the World" (2007) -Tarrafa segment (short)
  • "Memories" (2007) - The Rabbit Hunter segment (short)
  • Change Nothing (2009) (documentary)
  • "O nosso Homem" (2010) (short)
  • "Sweet Exorcist" (2012) - Centro Histórico segment (short)[11]
  • "The Daughters of Fire" (2023) (short)

Plays

[edit]

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Prémios Gulbenkian: Realizador Pedro Costa distinguido na categoria Arte". Jornal de Notícias (in Portuguese). 11 July 2008. Archived from the original on 5 March 2016. Retrieved 18 December 2015. Pedro Costa nasceu em Lisboa, 30 de Dezembro de 1958.
  2. ^ "Letters from Fontainhas: Three Films by Pedro Costa". The Criterion Collection. Retrieved 2022-10-15.
  3. ^ "Pedro Costa | IFFR". iffr.com. Retrieved 2022-10-15.
  4. ^ "Festival de Cannes: Colossal Youth". festival-cannes.com. Retrieved 2009-12-13.
  5. ^ Whitty2019-09-25T10:25:00+01:00, Stephen. "'Vitalina Varela': Review". Screen. Retrieved 2022-10-16.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  6. ^ "Pedro Costa: The Rembrandt of the Ghetto". National Review. 2020-03-25. Retrieved 2022-10-15.
  7. ^ "Gaza : des cinéastes du monde entier demandent un cessez-le-feu immédiat". Libération (in French). 28 December 2023. Retrieved 24 January 2024.
  8. ^ Newman, Nick (29 December 2023). "Claire Denis, Ryusuke Hamaguchi, Kiyoshi Kurosawa, Christian Petzold, Apichatpong Weerasethakul & More Sign Demand for Ceasefire in Gaza". The Film Stage. Retrieved 24 January 2024.
  9. ^ "Directors of cinema sign petition for immediate ceasefire". The Jerusalem Post. 31 December 2023. Retrieved 24 January 2024.
  10. ^ "De Pedro Almodóvar a Gael García Bernal, referentes del cine mundial firmaron una carta en apoyo del Incaa". La Nación. 22 January 2024.
  11. ^ Cataldo, Jesse (July 22, 2013). "Centro Histórico". Spectrum Culture.>

Further reading

[edit]
  • Malte Hagener / Tina Kaiser (ed.), Pedro Costa. Film-Konzepte 41 (edition text + kritik, 2016).
  • Fajgenbaum, Emma, Cinema as Disquiet - The Ghostly Realism of Pedro Costa, New Left Review 116, London (June 2019).
[edit]
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