Dr. Rafael Lessa

Biography

Rafael Lessa is a writer, director, and producer with 15 years of experience, collaborating with major players such as Amazon, Netflix, and Gaumont. He is a member of the Television Academy and the organization responsible for the Emmy Awards. Rafael's work has been recognized at prestigious film festivals, including Berlin, Locarno, and Venice. He is noted for his feature film 'Rule 34,' a politically charged drama that won the Golden Leopard at the Locarno Film Festival in 2022, and made his theatrical debut in France in 2023, distributed by Wayna Pitch Company. He was the head writer and co-executive producer for the Amazon Prime Video series 'Lov3,' which premiered in February 2022 and won an award from the Brazilian Writers' Association for comedy series. Additionally, he wrote for the Netflix original series 'Samantha!' and served as head writer for the series 'Adventures of Jose Durval' produced by O2 Films. Rafael is currently working on the screenplay for 'That's Cheating,' set to release in 2025 under Disney LATAM Productions. His screenwriting career includes successes like the short film 'Tá,' which won a Teddy Award at the Berlin Film Festival in 2008. In academia, Rafael holds an MFA with Honors from Columbia University Film School and an MBA in Business of Entertainment from the University of Southern California. He is based in Brooklyn, NY and is represented by Zero Gravity Management in the U.S. and F.R. Productions in Brazil. In 2023, he became a member of the Brazilian Filmmakers Collective.

Research Interests