Sérgio Ricardo’s debut short film Menino da Calça Branca was denied inclusion into the influential collective feature film Five Times Favela (1962) due to its “excessive lyricism”. In hindsight, it is its lyrical nature that allows us to return to the film today with such delight. The film features two artistic forces (brothers, it should be mentioned) at the beginning of their creative journeys; Dib Lutfi, who would go on to become one of the great cinematographers of Brazilian cinema, and writer, director, actor and composer Sérgio Ricardo. The story of a young favela boy whose sole desire is to obtain a pair of crisp white paints, Menino da Calça Branca is a work that highlights the extreme barriers between city and favela life. More than just a glimpse of what was to come from both Ricardo and Lutfi, Menino da Calça Branca is a touching film that deserves new critical attention in its own right