Renegotiating Circulation: Retrospectives and DVD Releases

Chapter 6 examines Pedro Costa’s effort to expand the circulation of his films outside the international film festival and arthouse circuits by looking into production and distribution practices conducted by the filmmaker since the mid-2000s. As regards production, the chapter contextualizes the making of Change Nothing, initially a short film released in 2005 and later reworked as a feature film in 2009. Concerning distribution this, the chapter looks at international film retrospectives and numerous DVD and Blu-ray releases from the mid-2000s onwards. It examines the implications of a creative agency which is not confined to authorial practices but also visibly impacts upon consumption. Thus, the chapter explains how Costa maintains a close dialogue between professional endeavour and commercial demand. This is particularly observed in Costa’s participation in special screenings and retrospectives, and in his close supervision of materials for the home video market.