
Petra Costa is a Brazilian filmmaker and actress. She first directed the short film Undertow Eyes (2009) which screened at the MoMA and was winner of best short film at Rio Film Festival, Cine Las Americas International Film Festival, London International Documentary Festival among others. She then directed the feature Elena (2012) which premiered at IDFA, followed by SXSW and HotDocs. Elena won many prizes such as best film at Havana Film Festival (2013), was nominated for Best Cinematography at the 2014 Cinema Eye Honors and was the most watched documentary in Brazil in 2013. In 2013 Petra was one of the 20 recipients of a grant given by CPH:DOX in Denmark. From this grant Petra and her Danish co-director Lea Glob developed a feature film, currently in postproduction, with the working title Olmo and the Seagull. The film is being produced by Zentropa, Som & Furia and Busca Vida Filmes…
movieApocalypse in the Tropics
2025 · Self, Director, Producer, Writer
movieBeba
2022 · Executive Producer
movieThe Edge of Theocracy
2020 · Petra Costa
movieBabenco: Tell Me When I Die
2020 · Associate Producer
movieEcstasy
2020 · Producer
movieThe Edge of Democracy
2019 · Self, Director, Writer, Producer
movieLife in Gray
2017 · Herself
movieNobody's Watching
2017 · Petra
movieOlmo and the Seagull
2015 · Director, Writer
movieElena
2013 · Self, Director, Writer
movieUndertow Eyes
2011 · Director, Writer, Producer, Editor, Cinematography
movieSecrets of the Tribe
2010 · Assistant Editor