Istanbul Modern Cinema presents the first and most comprehensive retrospective in Türkiye of Portuguese director Pedro Costa. Recognized as one of the most uncompromising masters of contemporary cinema, Costa has been described by The Guardian as the “Samuel Beckett of cinema” and is regarded in festival circles as a cult figure for true “auteur” followers. The director documents and narrates the lives of marginalized communities in Lisbon with a patient, immersive, and poetic style.
Beginning with his first feature Blood (O Sangue, 1989), followed by Bones (Ossos, 1997) and the Fontainhas Trilogy— Down to Earth (Casa de Lava, 1994), Colossal Youth (Juventude em Marcha, 2006), and Vitalina Varela (2019)—Costa developed a distinctive cinematic language through long takes shot in unlit narrow rooms, minimal dialogue, and meticulous attention to social and visual detail. These films, though demanding, create a kind of addiction in the viewer; each scene offers both an aesthetic experience and a powerful testimony to the conditions of human existence.
This retrospective, encompassing both short and feature-length films, offers audiences not only the opportunity to discover Pedro Costa’s cinema but also to witness the director’s evolution from traditional dramatic narrative to experimental documentary and installation form.
BLOOD (O SANGUE), 1989
Portugal | DCP, Black-White, 95’ | Portuguese
Director: Pedro Costa
Cast: Pedro Hestnes, Nuno Ferreira, Inês de Medeiros
BONES (OSSOS),
1997 Portugal, France, Denmark | DCP, Color, 94’ | Portuguese
Director: Pedro Costa
Cast: Vanda Duarte, Nuno Vaz, Mariya Lipkina
CHANGE NOTHING (NE CHANGE RIEN), 2009
Portugal, France | DCP, Black-White, 98’ | French, English
Director: Pedro Costa
Cast: Jeanne Balibar, Rodolphe Burger
COLOSSAL YOUTH (JUVENTUDE EM MARCHA), 2006
Portugal, France, Switzerland | DCP, Color, 156’ | Portuguese
Director: Pedro Costa
Cast: Ventura, Vanda Duarte, Beatriz Duarte
DOWN TO EARTH (CASA DE LAVA), 1994
Portugal, France, Germany | DCP, Color, 110’ | Portuguese
Director: Pedro Costa
Cast: Inês de Medeiros, Isaach De Bankolé, Edith
HORSE MONEY (CAVALO DINHEIRO), 2014
Portugal | DCP, Color, 103´ | Portuguese
Director: Pedro Costa
Cast: Ventura, Vitalina Varela, Tito Furtad
IN VANDA’S ROOM (NO QUARTO DA VANDA), 2000
Portugal, Germany, Switzerland | DCP, Color, 171’ | Portuguese
Director: Pedro Costa
Cast: Vanda Duarte, Lena Duarte, Zita Duarte
SHORTS
VITALINA VARELA, 2019
Portugal | DCP, Color, 124´ | Creole
Director: Pedro Costa
Cast: Vitalina Varela, Ventura Manuel, Tavares Almeida
WHERE DOES YOUR HIDDEN SMILE LIE? (ONDE JAZ O TEU SORRISO?), 2001
Portugal, France | DCP, Black-White & Color, 104’ | Italian, French
Director: Pedro Costa