Pedro Costa
Directing
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.
Known for
Directing27
movieThe Daughters of Fire
2023
Director
movieVitalina Varela
2019
Director
movieHorse Money
2014
Director
movieHistoric Centre
2012
Director
movieSweet Exorcist
2012
Director
movieAlto Cutelo
2012
Director
movieOur Man
2010
Director
movieChange Nothing
2009
Director
movieMemories
2007
Director
movieThe State of the World
2007
Director
movieThe Rabbit Hunters
2007
Director
movieTarrafal
2007
Director
movieColossal Youth
2006
Director
movieChange Nothing
2005
Director
movie6 Bagatelas
2001
Director
movieIn Vanda's Room
2001
Director
movieOssos
1997
Director
movieCasa de Lava
1995
Director
movieBlood
1989
Director
movieAgosto
1988
Assistant Director
movieA Girl in Summer
1986
Assistant Director
movieA Portuguese Farewell
1986
Assistant Director
movieÉ Tudo Invenção Nossa
1984
Director
Writing14
movieThe Daughters of Fire
2023
Screenplay
movieVitalina Varela
2019
Screenplay
movieHorse Money
2014
Writer
movieHistoric Centre
2012
Screenplay
movieSweet Exorcist
2012
Writer
movieOur Man
2010
Story
movieMemories
2007
Story
movieColossal Youth
2006
Writer
movieThe End of a Love Affair
2003
Screenplay
movieIn Vanda's Room
2001
Screenplay
movieOssos
1997
Screenplay
movieCasa de Lava
1995
Writer
movieBlood
1989
Screenplay
Acting8
movieWiara
2018
Self
9'8m/s²
1998
Policía 1.
Camera6
movieRepetition in re-creation
2026
Director of Photography
movieHistoric Centre
2012
Director of Photography
movieThe State of the World
2007
Director of Photography
movieWhere Does Your Hidden Smile Lie?
2003
Director of Photography
Cinéma, de notre temps: Danièle Huillet, Jean-Marie Straub - cinéastes
2001
Director of Photography
movieIn Vanda's Room
2001
Director of Photography
Crew3
movieChange Nothing
2009
Cinematography
movieColossal Youth
2006
Cinematography
Art2
movieWhere do you come from, Silence
2025
Art Direction
Production2
movieFire of Wind
2025
Producer
movieThe 13 Roses
2007
Producer
Editing1
Sound1
movieChekhov's The Cherry Orchard
2021
Sound Designer