VDF Connection returns to Cannes’ Marché du Film with VDF Showcase

VDF Connection, a São Paulo-based boutique consulting and sales agency focused on auteur and genre films, returns to Cannes Film Festival’s Marché du Film with the second edition of VDF Showcase, a platform for training, support and international recognition for advanced stage films.

The company is led by partners Monica Trigo, a long-time international consultant and festival curator, and Javier Fernández, a former member of Ventana Sur’s pioneering genre platform Bloodwindow.

“We believe this edition offers a particularly exciting panorama of works that draw on different genres, sensibilities and production approaches, yet share the same commitment to risk, identity and international projection,” Fernández and Trigo told Variety.

“All selected films have previously participated in training sessions designed to enhance their materials, positioning strategies and Marché du Film preparations, with the goal of arriving ready to connect with festival programmers, sales agents and strategic partners in the international industry,” they added.

This initiative features 15 titles and is divided into two complementary sections. One is Fantastic Cuts, which features seven completed and post-production feature films related to fantasy, thriller, science fiction and horror. and First Look will feature eight recently completed films, spanning author fiction, documentaries, and works of various formats, languages, and scales.

The first screening will be “Fantastic Cuts,” which will be held on May 16th in a session for festival programmers and international distributors. This selection brings together titles from Switzerland, Mexico, Brazil, and the United States. For its second screening, First Look brings together eight recently completed titles that share a unique aesthetic and narrative vision and offer a first approach to the international circuit of festivals, markets and other distribution opportunities. The screening will be held on May 18th.

In addition, VDF Connection will have a lineup of three titles for overseas markets. The first is “Covil,” directed by Rodrigo Lajes and starring Vitoria Strada. The film recently signed a deal with Globoplay for distribution in Brazil, with VDF Connection handling international sales. “Consecuencias Paralelas,” a sci-fi drama directed by Gabriel França and CD Vallada, has secured distribution in Brazil, with O2 in charge. Finally, “You’re It” (“La Mancha”), directed by genre legends Adrián García Bogliano and Ramiro García Bogliano, had its world premiere in BAFICI’s nocturne section.

great cut

“Zoom Speed” (Jesus Magaña Vazquez, Mexico)
Produced by Vázquez’s own Sobreviviente Films (Human Resources, Me and the Alien), Zoom Speed ​​asks the question, “What if the pandemic never ends?” The virtual world is the only one where human interaction is allowed, and TK 84 recruits rebels to become part of the virtual space, allowing them to live without restrictions and diluting reality until the atmosphere becomes violent. “For me, making a science fiction film was an opportunity to delve deeper into the genre of film, which is what made me fall in love with film,” says Vasquez.

“Twilight, Record of an Unpleasant Visit” (Marcos Aurelio Ramirez, Switzerland)
Emma waits for her husband, Heinrich, to return, but his guest, the mysterious Besalduk, instills fear in her. When Heinrich and his daughter fall ill, the woman suspects that the man is a vampire. “This is a film that tries to deal with harassment and intolerance in the analog era,” says Swiss-Mexican director and producer Marcos Aurelio Ramírez. Produced by ARBE Productions GmbH, Cuartito Studio Records and Art off Film.

“Under a Broken Sky” (Luciana Malavasi, Brazil)
Beatriz, a 45-year-old executive on the verge of collapse, meets Aureo dos Campos, a charismatic therapist who leads an isolated community, and decides to take her son to his retreat. As she seeks healing, the community blurs the lines between care and control. “This film reflects the deep fissures in modern society, exploring how vulnerability, faith, and the desire to belong are manipulated under the promise of healing,” says Malavasi. Produced by Pulseto Film, Franco Productions, and Maria Zimbro.

“Dark Corners 2: Safira’s Curse” (Enrique Nuzzi, Brazil)
A sequel to Dark Corners: Pietra’s Legacy, the film follows Beatrice, a YouTuber and paranormal investigator, and her cameraman, Hermes. Their search for the missing Clarice draws them to a remote farm in rural Brazil. “By contrasting modern digital reality with ancestral forces of nature, the film depicts disobedience as a path to freedom,” says Nuzzi. Produced by Nuzzi Film and Data Estelar Estúdios.

“The Taxidermist” (Paulo M. Nascimento, Brazil/USA)
In her Brooklyn apartment, a former nurse clutches a Bible as she cares for her daughter, who has been in a coma for years. When her daughter dies, she goes on a killing spree, believing that she can give people eternity through taxidermy. Writer/producer/director Nascimento has described the film as a “powerful, brutal slasher film where madness turns faith into violence.” Produced by Acorde Film and Rose Pictures.

“Paradiso” (Davi Reboredo, Brazil)
In dystopian Brazil, where the dead exist as corporate-managed digital replicas, a young woman struggles to keep her mother alive, even as the price pushes her further into debt and psychological dependence. Making his feature debut as a director, Reboredo made the film entirely with cast and crew from his hometown’s local underground scene. “It’s a bold blend of science fiction, surrealism, comedy and social drama that took nearly a decade to realize,” he says. Produced by Comm Arte Cultural.

“Beyond the Nest” (“Covil”), (Rodrigo Lajes, Brazil)
When a young woman inherits a house marked by family disputes and discovers a hidden room with terrifying secrets, a journey through the dark heritage tied to her past begins. The film “explores how silence, guilt, and inheritance trap us in invisible prisons. Through psychological horror, it examines how family secrets shape our identities and the costs of confronting them,” says Lages. Produced by AVNOVE and represented by VDF Connection, the film will be released in Brazil through the important platform Globoplay.

first look

“Bravo” (Bonzo Villegas, Argentina)
A declining sex worker in northern Argentina finds her way into the elite world through an unexpected crime and gains access to the man she persistently desires. “Bravo is a character-driven film inspired by real events, exploring masculinity as performance and confinement through a protagonist who constantly reinvents himself in order to belong,” Villegas says. The film was produced by Langton, Grupo Clapp and Noah Grip, with the special participation of Esteban Meloni.

“Islanders” (Manu Sobral, Brazil)
Luana, an archeology student, arrives on the island determined to investigate the traces of a missing person in a mysterious cave. A scientific journey turns into a terrifying psychedelic journey.
“‘Islanders’ was filmed in an ecological reserve in Brazil’s most urbanized region. It explores nature as a central character, features a predominantly female crew, and explores the language of fantasy by placing it in dialogue with horror and fable,” says Sobral. Produced by Zarvos Estudio and RZP Films.

“Where we are safe” (Thais Scabio, Gilberto Caetano, Brazil)
A young couple traumatized by racial violence takes refuge in an old house in rural São Paulo, where they encounter the spirits of their ancestors bent on revenge. Starring Aguida Aguiar (Ainda Estu Acqui), Scavio and Cayetano aimed to “transform the trauma of racial violence into a sensual experience. The horror of black women’s bodies comes not only from the supernatural but from everyday life and internalized pain.” Produced by Cavallo Marinho Audiovisual.

“Almost Winter” (Rodrigo Grota, Brazil)
The setting is Brazil under military dictatorship in the 1970s. The three sisters return to the farm where they were born. While reuniting with their brother, they are visited by soldiers and are faced with questions and secrets from their past. “The photography, production design and soundtrack were created with the aim of reinforcing the timeless aspects of the plot,” says Grota. The film is aimed at adults and is “driven by real characters with real problems, joys and fears,” added producer Guilherme Peraro. Manufactured by Kinopus and part of the 2025 Curitiba Lab.

“Night of Allied” (Lilianne Mutti, Brazil)
Alayde Costa ventures from the outskirts of Rio to the birthplace of bossa nova to stand next to Joao Gilberto, Tom Jobim and Vinicius de Moraes. Teka Remuardo (“3%”) stars as the only black woman at the center of this movement, but she is barred from a concert at the legendary Carnegie Hall. At the age of 90, she travels across America to recover the history of the stage that was denied her. Bossa Nova “estheticized softness while excluding black women’s bodies from its central narrative,” Mutti says. Produced by TOCA Filmes and repped by Bretz Filmes.

“Calls of the Rosary” (Reginaldo Marquez Silva, Brazil)
When the drums sound, an entire generation speaks. “Calls of the Rosary” journeys through voice, body, and territory to reveal the strength of Black Brazil and the perseverance of tradition. Featuring an ensemble cast of more than 40 local residents from 10 municipalities in Minas Gerais, Marquez Silva says, “This film will be both a historical record and an act of memory, preserving for present and future generations the ongoing struggle for rights, recognition and permanence.” Produced by Institute Guest.

“My Dear Alice” (Rogelio Sagi, Brazil)
Alice is a rural teacher who lives on a farm with her adoptive parents, but the unexpected return of her siblings turns the house into a real nightmare. When Alice learns that her father has been forcibly taken away after a brutal murder attempt, she must fight to save him and rebuild her life. Sagui says, “This story stands out for turning a family drama into an intense psychological thriller, where the threat comes from within the family itself.” Produced by Kalimann Produções and RY Produções.

“Law Version” (Ninna Fachinello, Brazil)
A lawyer who specializes in defending women feels the ethical boundaries of his profession have become stricter after being involved in a case involving a single mother who was cornered by her ex-partner. Facinello, who faced the limits of the law in the face of violence that the system says it disallows, says the film was “born out of my own experience, but I soon realized that I was telling the story of thousands of mothers.” Funded by Incinet and BRDE, the cast includes Tati Villela, Mariana Xavier and Portuguese actor Pedro Carvalho. Produced by ColetivA DELAS.