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Don't Be A Stranger

Fellipe Fernandes

Producers

Dora Amorim, Julia Machado

Lab Edition

13

,

2025

Production

Zebra Films

Country

Brazil

SYNOPSIS

Frightened by a series of murders in the queer community of a coastal city, the ex-addicted nurse Luca, 29, worries when his ex-boyfriend goes missing and decides to search for him. Gradually, he develops a dangerous attraction to risk: despite all warnings, he continues using dating apps. The possibility that one of his matches might be a killer both terrifies and excites him. In contrast to the tenderness he offers his patients, the brutality of his sexual experiences begins to blur the line between fear and desire.

DIRECTOR'S NOTE

I feel that facing death's mysteries is unavoidable for people like me, LGBTQ Brazilians from underprivileged backgrounds. Fear and desire dance together in the construction of dissonant sexualities and we must learn to live by blurring the boundaries of the margins. I'm really interested in how Luca gradually pushes his physical and moral boundaries in this journey, until he learns that to really feel alive it's necessary to face the mirror honestly and never become a stranger to oneself.

ABOUT THE FILMMAKER

Raised in the outskirts of Recife, Fellipe Fernandes premiered his first film, “Delusion is Redemption to Those in Distress”, at 2016 Cannes Film Festival’s Critic’s Week. After his second short, “Tempestade” (2019), he launched his first feature film, “Rio Doce” (2021), at the Olhar de Cinema – Curitiba International Film Festival, where it was awarded Best Film and Best Brazilian Feature. It also received the grand prize at the Rio Film Festival’s New Directions and the FIPRESCI award at the Toulouse Latin American Film Festival.

PRODUCERS

Dora Amorim, Julia Machado

Dora Amorim is a partner at Zebra Filmes, working as an audiovisual producer since 2010. Her films have been shown at over 100 festivals, including Cannes Critics' Week and Rotterdam IFF. She collaborated with Emilie Lesclaux and Kleber Mendonça Filho at Cinemascópio Produções, and was the executive producer of “O agente secreto”. Dora is part of Berlinale Talents, Eave+, and the Paradiso Talent Network, and was recognized by LatAm Cinema as one of the five standout Latin American producers at Cannes 2025.
Júlia Machado is a partner at Zebra Filmes, studied Audiovisual and Public Relations. An audiovisual producer since 2009, she was part of the team for the feature films “Bacurau” and “O Agente Secreto”, directed by Kleber Mendonça Filho. Recently she produced the features "Salomé" and "Ainda não é amanhã" Júlia has participated in BRLab and CineMundi and her films have been exhibited in many national and international festivals, including Cannes Critics' Week.
Zebra Filmes was founded in 2024 by Dora Amorim and Júlia Machado, independent producers with extensive experience in the industry. They are currently developing projects by Fellipe Fernandes, Milena Times, André Antonio, Nathália Tereza, and other filmmakers.

​PRODUCTION COMPANY PROFILE

○ Zebra Films / Recife, Brazil
○ +55 81 7901-7700, +55 81 8561-4805
dora@zebrafilmesbr.com, julia@zebrafilmesbr.com

​PRODUCTION BUDGET

○ Total budget: 1,069,000 USD
○ Confirmed budget and source: 66,000 USD (Brazilian Copruduction - development)

LANGUAGE

Portuguese

GENRE

Thriller Drama

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