Costa-Gavras, Constantin

(1933- )

   Actor, director, producer, and screenwriter. Born in Greece as Konstantinos Gavra, Constantin Costa-Gavras, who is also known simply as Costa-Gavras, studied at the Sorbonne and then at the Institut des Hautes Études Cinématographiques (IDHEC) in the 1950s. He became a French citizen in 1968. He assisted René Clair, René Clément, Jacques Demy, and Henri Verneuil before venturing out on his own. His first film was a short, Les rates (1958), and it was followed by two thrillers, Compartiment tueurs (1965) and Un homme de trop (1967). One of his most notable works is Z (1969), an adaptation of the novel by Vassilis Vassilikos based on the assassination of the Greek politician Gregorios Lambrakis in 1963. Z won the Jury Prize at Cannes and an Oscar for Best Foreign Film in 1969. It has been considered one of the classics of the political thriller genre. Costa-Gavras's frequent casting of actor Yves Montand in starring roles rendered Montand an emblem of the political thriller.

   It was followed by several other political thrillers, including L'aveu (1970), État de siège (1972), which won the Prix Louis-Delluc, and Section spéciale (1975). Costa-Gavras's 1970s films are important contributions to what critics call "militant cinema." Indeed, several of his films can be viewed as attempts to inspire political action. He was awarded a Golden Palm at Cannes for Missing (1982), an Anglophone feature that called attention to human rights abuses in Argentina. He won the Golden Berlin Bear for Music Box in 1990, and a César for Best Adapted Screenplay for Amen (2003), a film that critiques the negligence of the Vatican during the Nazi Occupation. This film starred actor and director Mathieu Kassovitz.