In 2016, Thomaseto produced “Quartet” which was an official selection at the Cannes Film Festival as well as premiering there. This story of a polyamorous relationship explores the parameters of what the characters are willing to sacrifice to hold onto the ones they love. The film received awards at the Women’s Only Entertainment Film Festival, Largo Film Awards, and L.A. Short Awards, among others. Helena Sardinha (writer and director of "Quartet") professes, “Rafael immerses himself to a level that few achieve. It was his goal to know exactly what he could expect from everyone involved. He masters the entire production process to be able to assist his director from the concept of the story, raising capital, organizing logistics of shooting, and generating marketing and business plans. It’s a wonderful sense of security for a director to know that your producer has taken care of everything long before you even realize that it could be a problem. Rafael creates the type of environment we all want, which is one in which you can create, free from outside complications.”
Rafael produced “Pumpkin”, a heartfelt and somewhat agonizing story about two best friends separated with great physical distance while dealing with a diagnosis of cancer. The film presents the idea of a very real life frightening situation and how it is handled in modern society. One aspect of “Pumpkin” connected in particular with viewers of a certain generation. Thomaseto explains, “I think we used a very unique and modern way of telling our story in the film; technology. The two teenagers share their passions in life and a strong friendship they have built through a screen; sharing their fears in life through an app. One character was suffering from an intense and powerful sickness and what made him feel better was to look at the computer and talk to his best friend who was overseas. This just shows the reality we live in now. We are connected through our phones and computers most of our days. We create online relationships and that’s the contemporary world. The film is real and the audience sensed that.” In addition to recognitions at The Best Shorts Competition and The Women’s Only Entertainment Film Festival, “Pumpkin” was also an official selection at the Cannes Film Festival.
In yet another film which depicts someone struggling against the odds to find a place for themselves in the world, “Eli” tells of an autistic man whose father has only been given six months to live, forcing Eli to learn how to take care of himself. As the audience witness Eli’s determination to relate to the previously unfamiliar world and find a way to support himself with a job, the real message conveyed is that we never know what obstacles our fellow human being has been forced to overcome just to be an active member of society. Rafael is especially proud of his producing credit on “Eli” which was awarded Best Short, Best Drama, and Best Producer at the Hollywood International Moving Pictures Film Festival.
Rafael’s most recent project is a yet untitled film tentatively which is a co-production between Brazil and United States (still under script development and negotiations). A character-driven and human-condition film with universal themes that transcends international differences, this coming of age movie chronicles the experience of a young teenager growing up in a small town in Brazil while dealing with the discovery of his homosexuality and his addictions to abusive sex encounters. True to form, Thomaseto does not shy away from topics that are provocative. He relates, “Films probably inspire more and attain a wider audience than any other art form. ‘Self’ is my way of using my voice to call help for those millions of kids who grow up struggling with their identity and those who beside all that, suffer with abusive sexual encounters and don’t come forward in a way of punishing themselves or perhaps are afraid of revealing their sexuality.” Thomaseto continues, “I consider myself a storyteller. I want to be a producer and make sure I support creative people making sure their projects become real. I want to support other storytellers to show their vision on the world as well as have direct input with my own ideas. This career, this life… whether I’m working on a project that is my own vision or helping someone else achieve theirs, I can’t imagine anything more rewarding. The audience places their faith in you to entertain them but also to inform them and affect their heart; they are seeking to know themselves just as we are as filmmakers. I feel that it’s an incredible adventure to learn and refine one’s self as well as your understanding of others. It’s very exciting!”