Z (1969)

Z is a 1969 political thriller film directed by Costa-Gavras, from a screenplay he co-wrote with Jorge Semprún, adapted from the 1967 novel by Vassilis Vassilikos. The film presents a thinly fictionalized account of the events surrounding the assassination of democratic Greek politician Grigoris Lambrakis in 1963. With its dark view of Greek politics and its downbeat ending, the film captures the director's outrage about the junta that, at the time when it was made, ruled Greece. The title refers to a popular Greek protest slogan (Greek: Ζει, IPA: [ˈzi]) meaning "he lives," in reference to Lambrakis.

A French and Algerian co-production, the film stars Jean-Louis Trintignant as the investigating magistrate, an analogue of Christos Sartzetakis, who would become the president of Greece from 1985 to 1990. International stars Yves Montand and Irene Papas also appear, but despite their star billing, they have shorter screen time. Jacques Perrin, who also produced the film, plays a key role as a photojournalist. Other actors in the film include Pierre Dux, Charles Denner, François Périer, Georges Géret and Bernard Fresson. The musical score was composed by Mikis Theodorakis.

Z was a surprise international hit and is considered to be a landmark film of the political thriller genre. It became the first non-English language film to receive nominations for the Academy Awards in both Best Picture and Best Foreign Language Film categories and to win in the Best Foreign Language Film category. It also received numerous other accolades including Best Actor for Trintignant and Jury Prize at the Cannes Film Festival and the Golden Globe Award for Best Foreign Film.