Isabela Costa
Directing
Biography
Isabela Costa is a filmmaker born in Rio de Janeiro whose work conjures poetic, sensory universes shaped by the anxieties and longings of younger generations. Working across 16mm and digital formats, she holds an MFA in Film/Video from California Institute of the Arts. Her films have screened at festivals including Lausanne Underground Film & Music Festival, Melbourne International Film Festival, Atlanta Film Festival, among others. Her photographic and fashion storytelling features artists such as Sloppy Jane’s Haley Dahl, Luna Li, Daphne Blunt, and Isabella Lalonde.
Known For
Six immigrant friends constellate in Los Angeles while reflecting on intuition, perception, and the mythologies of a city. Blending documentary footage, voiced recollections, and diaristic entries, the film gathers fragments of lived experience and speculation into a collective imaginary of Los Angeles.
Somewhere Else
A few days before the apocalypse, a lonely young woman has a revelation: she has been wrongly trying to fit in on Earth, as she is actually a sea creature. With this in mind, she urges to abandon her mundane notions of life and builds a deep connection with fishes. In her dealings with the underwater organisms, she is surprised by their innate understanding about the experience of being raised as a feminine being.
Living Fish
In Rio de Janeiro, two friends who are almost codependent wander around alienated and afraid of boredom. Meanwhile, a filmmaker investigates these two young people.
Ana & Oto
In search of a mysterious treasure, three women embark on an adventure through magical and playful vignettes.
Treasure Hunt
An employee of God takes a break from heaven's bureaucracy and spends some time on Earth. Through the eyes of an angel, the mundane realms can be more mesmerizing than the rigidity within a perfect (and repetitive) paradise.