HALF N RAFA PRODUCTIONS
HALF RAFA, HALF YOU
Trilingual Producer & Creative EP building cross-border films
Hi•Hola•Oi!​
My name is Rafaela Gonçalves, and you're entering the world of Half N Rafa Productions.
Why “Half N Rafa Productions”?
What started as a joke about the pronunciation of Rafaela's nickname ("Rafa") became a reality. In Portuguese, the "R" in "Rafa" is pronounced like the American "H," which leads to "Hafa" or "Half-a." This playful twist inspired her when she discovered her passion for collaborating with incredibly talented individuals and filmmakers. Her goal is to bring her projects to life with their help while also supporting their creative visions.
As seen on:
ABOUT RAFAELA
Rafaela Gonçalves (artistic name Rafa Ella) is a Brazilian-born actress, independent film and television producer, and the founder of Half N Rafa Productions, a production company operating between Los Angeles and São Paulo. Raised in Ribeirão Preto, she discovered her artistic voice early, publishing her first novel at age fifteen at one of Latin America’s largest book fairs and proudly representing her hometown as an Olympic Torchbearer during the 2016 Rio Olympic Games. Shortly after completing high school, she moved to Los Angeles to pursue her career.
​
She graduated with honors from the American Musical and Dramatic Academy (AMDA) in Hollywood with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Acting, followed by a Master of Fine Arts in Film and TV Producing from the New York Film Academy, also completed with honors. Her MFA thesis film—an adaptation of her own novel—became the foundation for an upcoming feature currently in development, with a proof-of-concept short film to start its film festival run in 2026.
As a producer, Rafaela has worked on more than twenty films—shorts and features—across the U.S. and Brazilian markets. Although she has more hands-on experience in narrative projects, she is now venturing into the world of documentary and reality TV.
​
Half N Rafa Productions’ first-ever truly in-house short film, If the Shoe Fits, has won multiple awards internationally at film festivals and is available now on YouTube.
​
Across nearly eight years in California, and in addition to her in-house slate, Rafaela produces freelance projects. Some of her producing credits include projects such as Blow for Blow (released on Amazon Prime), I Watched You Become Death (in distribution negotiations), and Our Weird Selves, supported by Zeiss, Sony, and Mistika. She is currently working on two feature films and a TV show to be shot in 2026.
​
A trilingual producer and actress with a cross-border career, Rafaela continues to expand her global footprint, driven by a commitment to ambitious, cross-cultural storytelling and supporting independent filmmakers through thoughtful, hands-on production leadership.
Explore her acting work at: https://www.rafaelagoncalves.com/
