Ico Costa was born in Lisbon in 1983. He studied at the Portuguese National Film School, in Lisbon, at the Universidad del Cine, in Buenos Aires and at Le Fresnoy - Studio national des arts contemporains, in Tourcoing, France.

He directed the short films LIBHAKETI (2012), FOUR HOURS BAREFOOT (2012), CURRENT (2013), ANTERO (2014), NYO VWETA NAFTA (2017), TIMKAT (2021) and DOMY+AILUCHA: KET STUFF! (2022). He has also directed the documentary UPROAR, ECLIPSE (2017), and the fiction feature film ALVA (2019). He is now working on his second feature film, to be shot in Mozambique.

His work was shown at several film festivals, such as the Critics’ Week of Cannes, Rotterdam, Rome, Cinéma du Réel, Visións du Réel, New Directors/New Films, Oberhausen, Jihlava, Vila do Conde, IndieLisboa, DocLisboa, among many others.

In 2019 he founded the production company Oublaum Filmes, which has recently produced STRIKING LAND and WATERS OF PASTAZA, both premiered at the Berlinale 2022.