Jose da Costa

Jose da Costa was born in Timor-Leste where he was a youth clandestine activist. Arriving by boat as a refugee, he campaigned extensively, especially throughout regional Victoria, for East Timorese independence. He has worked professionally as an actor and filmmaker in Timor-Leste and Australia and published children’s books in the Tetum language. Da Costa was co-founder and former director of Dili Film Works which made Timor Leste’s first feature film, A Guerra da Beatriz (Beatriz' War). He has acted in the films A Guerra da Beatriz, Balibo Five, and Sumatra, and the two-part miniseries, Answered by Fire. His stage acting credits include Greater Sunrise at the Belvoir Theatre in Sydney and Hello My name Is… at OzAsia Festival in Adelaide. He co-produced the animation based on his life, Jose’s Story with Wendy Chandler. He has been a storyteller at the Darwin Festival’s SPUN and at the Northern Territory Writers’ Festival.