Pedro Costa to engage in a residency at Elías Querejeta Zine Eskola

Since the 2021-2022 academic year, Elías Querejeta Zine Eskola has been inviting prestigious filmmakers to live and work with the school community for short periods, within the ‘Filmmakers in residence’ programme. Throughout their stay (the duration of which will vary depending on the characteristics and stage of the projects in question and the point in the academic year at which the residencies are held), resident filmmakers work on their new film project with the help and support of the school’s resources, while at the same time, sharing their methodology and creative process with students on the Filmmaking Studies course. The aim is to open up a space for debate and to establish a practical film experimentation project with students.

Following Radu Jude’s residency last year, the next filmmaker in residence will be Pedro Costa (Lisbon, 1959). His first film, O sangue (Blood) had its world première at the Mostra Cinematografica di Venezia, in 1989. Casa de Lava, his second feature, shot in Cabo Verde, screened in Cannes, in the 'Un Certain Regard’ section, in 1994. His next work, Ossos (Bones) was awarded an Osella d'Oro in Venice, in 1997. In 2014, Cavalo Dinheiro (Money Horse) won the Leopard for Best Direction at the Locarno Film Festival. Vitalina Varela won the Golden Leopard and the Best Actress Prize at the same festival, in 2019. Other feature films by this Portuguese director include No Quarto da Vanda (In Vanda's Room, 2000), Où gît votre sourire enfoui? (Where does your hidden smile lie?, 2001), which explores the work of Danièle Huillet and Jean-Marie Straub, Ne change rien (2009), and Juventude em marcha (Youth on the march, 2006), which was selected for the Cannes Film Festival. As filhas do fogo (The Daughters of Fire), his latest work to date, will premiere in the Special Screenings section at the 76th edition of the French festival.

During his stay at EQZE, wich will begin on May 29, Costa will share his view of filmmaking with students on the Filmmaking Studies course, and will explain his method, which is based on hard work, consistency and rigour. His interest in production media, constant exploration of the different materials that make up a film, and firm commitment to representing reality will also make themselves felt in the working sessions he runs, which will have a strong practical emphasis.

After Radu Jude and Pedro Costa, the next filmmaker in residence will be Rita Azevedo Gomes (Lisbon, 1952). This Portuguese filmmaker, who directed movies such as Correspondências (Correspondences, 2016), A Portuguesa (The Portuguese Woman, 2018) and Danses macabres, squelettes et autres fantaisies (Danses Macabres, Skeletons and Other Fantasies, 2019), among others, will visit Elías Querejeta Zine Eskola in November, soon after the start of the 2023-2024 academic year.

‘Filmmakers in residence’ forms part of EQZE’s academic and research residency plan and aims to combine support for the creative process of the selected filmmakers, who will all be engaged in a specific project, with the generation of a space for mutual learning, intergenerational knowledge transmission and joint film research and exploration by students and established filmmakers.

Screenings

In June, as part of the Zinemaldia + Plus program, the San Sebastian Film Festival will host a session dedicated to Pedro Costa. The filmmaker himself has chosen two films for this screening: Sicilia! (Danièle Huillet, Jean-Marie Straub, 1999) and Où gît votre sourire enfoui?  a filmmaker's approach to the editing process of Huillet and Straub's film, and a tribute to the pair of filmmakers. This session will take place on June 3 at Tabakalera and will be presented by Costa.

For its part, Tabakalera will program on June 8 O sangue, recently restored under the supervision of the filmmaker.