Starry Sky (Céu Estrelado) EN-SUB

Short Synopsis: Lucas, a four-year-old boy, lives in a society that has forgotten to look up at the sky. Until the night he decides to remind them.

Large Synopsis:
A pure gesture of wonder: a boy runs away to converse with the stars. His town, however, only understands the language of alarm. While adults and the media transform his awe into a police case, the true repercussion of his act echoes in a more subtle and poetic way, questioning who has truly lost their way: the child who ventures into the night, or the society that has forgotten to look up at the sky.

  • Filipe Rafaeli
    Director
  • Filipe Rafaeli
    Writer
  • Luisa Petrucci
    Producer
  • Benjamin Andrade
    Key Cast
    "Lucas"
  • Barbara Bagattini
    Key Cast
    "Mother"
  • Anderson Gorgone
    Key Cast
    "Father"
  • Vinícius Galliatto
    Key Cast
    "Policeman Inácio"
  • Paulo Madalhano
    Key Cast
    "Policeman Rodrigues"
  • João Guena
    Key Cast
    "Chief of Police Soares"
  • Aldo Simões
    Key Cast
    "Reporter"
  • Milton de Castro
    Key Cast
    "Antonio Almeida"
  • Marcelo Jacob
    Key Cast
    "Man at the Bar"
  • Gianmarco Bisaglia
    Key Cast
    "Mayor"
  • Pablo Medina
    Director of Photography
  • Sinfônica de Bragança Paulista
    Original Theme "Starry Sky" and Score
  • Project Type:
    Short
  • Runtime:
    15 minutes
  • Completion Date:
    January 2, 2026
  • Production Budget:
    8,000 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    Brazil
  • Country of Filming:
    Brazil
  • Language:
    Portuguese
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital Blackmagic Cinema Camera
  • Aspect Ratio:
    2:39
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
  • Digital Cinema Package:
    Unavailable
  • A Taste of Theatre International Film Festival Showcase
    Chicago
    United States
    April 28, 2026
    Official Selection
  • 9th Cinétoile International Film Festival
    Nabeul, Hammamet
    Tunisia
    August 1, 2026
    Official Selection
Director Biography - Filipe Rafaeli

Filipe Rafaeli is a 47-year-old filmmaker from Atibaia, a countryside town in São Paulo, with a passion for telling stories that celebrate Brazilian culture and history. His debut short, "O Looping" (2013), delves into his love for aviation by narrating the encounter between a boy and a Brazilian pilot preparing to fight against Nazifascism in Italy during World War II. The film won the Apollo Trophy for Best Fiction at the Militum Festival in Rio de Janeiro. His second work, "A Bola" (The Ball, 2025), which brings together samba, football, and inclusion, continues its festival circuit run and has already established an international profile, having been selected and screened in Brazil, France, Portugal, Austria, Colombia, Africa, and Eastern Europe, where it has received two honorable mentions.

His newest project, "Céu Estrelado" (Starry Sky), deepens this quest for narratives that blend the universal with the poetic. The film explores, with subtle humor, how a society has forgotten life's simple pleasures, like looking up at the sky.

Interestingly, the precision and poetry of his cinematic gaze find a parallel in another of his passions: Filipe is an aerobatics pilot and a four-time Brazilian champion in the discipline. In his flights, he learned that each maneuver is a visual narrative whose ultimate goal is not just technique, but to captivate the audience's gaze. It is this same intention that he now brings to the screen, guiding the viewer with smoothness toward the details that truly matter.

Add Director Biography
Director Statement

“For children, it's an adventure film. It encourages curiosity and discovery. For adults, it's a light comedy that laughs at the way the world turns small events into spectacles. But ultimately, for both adults and children, the film generates a poetic questioning about the importance of valuing the simple things in life,” says Filipe Rafaeli, director and screenwriter.

“A cool thing about this film is that we show a Brazil far from the stereotypes the world expects. The story takes place in the daily life of a quiet countryside town, with its own way of life and architecture, proposing a journey for the viewer to a little-known place. But this story could happen anywhere in the world. A child's enchantment with the stars is a universal gesture, whether in a village in France, a suburb of the United States, or a city in Japan. At the heart of this film, however, lies a subtle question that few people ask: what happens when there is a disconnect between children's imagination and adult logic?”