About Ricardo Graça

Researcher and filmmaker with 20 years of experience. I work at the intersection of semiotics, technology and art — investigating technological sovereignty and the use of open tools as means of creative emancipation. My short films have won awards in Brazil and abroad, and this theoretical foundation feeds everything I produce.

That same foundation sustains my work with companies and institutions: I help structure communication that doesn't sound like everyone else's — with the rigor of research, the direction of someone who makes films, and the method of the book Integral Communication (the 3 Spheres Model).

From the start, I chose free software as my production tools — Blender, Krita, Inkscape, Kdenlive. Not out of economy, but out of conviction: I believe technological sovereignty is a condition for creative emancipation. I produce internationally awarded animations, serve clients in 15 countries, and have built a 100% open pipeline that delivers professional quality without proprietary license dependency.

JourneyHighlights

EducationAcademia and research

• Master's in Corporate Communication
• Researcher in Semiotic Analysis of Animation Cinema (Deleuze and Guattari)
• Specialization in Audiovisual Production
• Bachelor's in Literature — language and narrative mastery
• Bachelor's in Visual Arts (in progress)
• Editor of Rizomático online journal — rizomatico.org (ISSN 3086-4488)

PhilosophyTechnological sovereignty

My theoretical foundations range from Deleuze to Hayao Miyazaki, from Peircean semiotics to free software philosophy. I believe a tool you cannot control can be taken from you at any moment — and that audiovisual production does not need expensive licenses or proprietary infrastructure to be relevant.

All my work — from short films to corporate projects — is produced exclusively with free software, on self-owned servers, with open file formats. It is a political, aesthetic and pedagogical stance.

FilmsAwarded short films

ImpactEducation and community

• 2007–2017: Educator and art educator — animation and game creation workshops held at SESC units in Rio de Janeiro
• 2015–2017: Digital culture coordinator at Pontão Arroios (Cinema Nosso NGO)
• 2016–2017: Digital culture coordinator at Rio Solidário project (Cidadela NGO)
• 2024: Lectures on AI in education and animation with free software at SESC units in Rio de Janeiro
• 2024: Game creation workshop at a SESC unit in Rio de Janeiro

Let's talk?

If you have a project in mind, get in touch. I'll respond within one business day.