Armondo Linus Acosta, also known as Armand Acosta and Armando Acosta (born September 23, 1938), is an American-born award-winning film director, screenwriter, cinematographer, producer and designer. He is best known for his motion picture film-in-concert Romeo.Juliet.[1][2] Acosta is about to release "The Living Tableau", a stand-alone filmic recreation of Leonardo DaVinci's The Last Supper, as well as the opening sequence of Acosta's new feature film project: The Last Supper: A Divine Prophecy. "The Living Tableau" is the first time in motion picture history that Vittorio Storaro, cinematographer, Dante Ferretti, production designer and Francesca Lo Schiavo, set decorator, have worked together.
Acosta was born in Bradford, Pennsylvania. The eldest of three children, his parents were popular musicians during the Big Band era: Kay Bratton, Acosta's mother, was a jazz singer and his father, Alex Acosta, a drummer. During the first eleven years of Acosta's life, the road was home. He traveled around the country wherever his parents performed.
Acosta created, directed, designed and lit over 250 major international award-winning commercials for institutions, companies and organizations. Clients and assignments included Ford Motor Company, General Motors, Chrysler, NASA, MGM, ABC, CBS, NBC, Paramount Pictures, Warner Bros., Eastman Kodak, Chanel, Herman Miller, The New York World’s Fair, and Alka-Seltzer. His work is represented in the International Design Annuals and the Television Hall of Fame.
An ‘A&R’ and design consultant, Acosta created and designed numerous 33 1/3 album covers for producer Richard Bock, founder of Pacific Jazz Records (known in the 1960s as World Pacific Records).[3][4][5][6][7]
In 1962 Acosta was appointed Filmic Designer for the Emmy nominated, avant-garde television variety show "The Lively Ones."[10][11] The show, sponsored by Ford Motor Company, aired for two seasons on NBC and starred Vic Damone, directed by Barry Shear with music by Jerry Fielding.
In the early 1960s, the Vatican commissioned Acosta to create, write and design a series of 15 short feature films illustrating the Psalms. Acosta worked with Father Patrick Peyton’s Family Theater Productions.[12]
The Psalms collection was screened in the Vatican Pavilion at the 1964 New York World’s Fair. One of the short films, The Soldier, featuring the then young William Shatner, was screened at the 1964 Venice Film Festival. The Soldier won awards in the international film festival circuit, along with receiving industry recognition.[13]
Armondo Linus Acosta was represented for over three decades by show business agent, Dennis Selinger of ICM London. Acosta’s long-time legal representative was Lee Steiner of Loeb & Loeb.
Acosta is the director, mentor and founder of The Academy of Film and The Arts, an international film school and studio based in Ghent, Belgium.
In addition to completing "The Living Tableau" with Storaro, Ferretti and Lo Schiavo, Acosta's other film projects include: The Last Supper: A Divine Prophecy[15][16](in production), Shooting Stars (post-production) and Joy (pre-production).
In the year 2000, Acosta was reunited with his mentor, Roger Corman at the Flanders International Film Festival in Ghent, Belgium.
"The Last Supper: A Divine Prophecy" (in production)
Television
"Follow the Sun" (1961–1962), series, United States
"The Lively Ones" (1962–1963), series, United States
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