Rafael Morais

Rafael Morais is a Portuguese actor and film director. He has worked with several globally awarded filmmakers, such as Lav Diaz, Marco Martins, Joao Canijo, and Tiago Guedes. He won the Best Actor prize at the 2023 Prishtina International Film Festival for his performance in Albania's 95th Academy Awards submission, A [Cup of Coffee and New Shoes On], which was lauded as one of the best of the year by Variety and Screen International.

Career

Morais has appeared in films including Marco Martins's How to Draw a Perfect Circle ; João Canijo's Blood of [My Blood (2011 film)|Blood of My Blood] ; Gentian Koçi's A Cup of Coffee and New Shoes On ; Canijo's Bad Living ; and the 2025 Cannes Film Festival Official Selection, Magellan, directed by Lav Diaz.
In 2012, he made his directorial debut with the short film You Are the Blood, which he also wrote and starred in.
In 2022, Morais portrayed the Portuguese painter Amadeo de Souza Cardoso in the biopic Amadeo. He is also known for his work in the Netflix series White Lines,''Glória, and Turn of the Tide''.

Accolades

Morais has been nominated three times as Best Actor at the Portuguese Golden Globes, for the films Blood of My Blood, A Cup of Coffee and New Shoes On, and How to Draw a Perfect Circle.
He has been nominated twice as Best Lead Actor at the Sophia Awards, for his performances in Amadeo and A Cup of Coffee and New Shoes On.
In 2023, Morais won the Best Actor award at the Prishtina International Film Festival for A Cup of Coffee and New Shoes On. His portrayal of the deaf-mute Agim earned him rave reviews, and his work was lauded as "one of the best performances of the year" by Variety.
In 2024, he was selected for the Berlinale Talents development program, and the same year, he was invited to become a permanent member of the European Film Academy.