Chile’s Valeria Hofmann, who won best director for short “AliEN0089” at the Sundance Film Festival in 2023, is blending body horror and tech romance with her feature debut Dæmon.
The logline teases, “In a world where you can print DNA at home, why not print your own boyfriend?”
Set in the Chilean coastal town of Valparaíso, Dæmon follows “Liz, a solitary content moderator who finds unexpected intimacy in a virtual lover. But when she learns he’s not just code but a consciousness trapped within her computer, obsession takes root. As reality and simulation begin to collapse into each other, Liz becomes consumed with building him a physical form using a bioprinter that runs on blood — even if it means risking her own humanity.”
Madrid-based Amore Cine, founded by Paz Lázaro, Juan Pablo Félix, and Edson Sidonie, has boarded the project, Variety reports today.
Hofmann’s feature debut project won first place in Spain’s ICAA Selective Grant and is aiming to start principal photography in 2026.
“From the very beginning, ‘Dæmon’ captivated us with Valeria Hofmann’s audacious and deeply personal female gaze breaking into genre cinema. Supporting a debut of such ambition alongside this wonderful team of producers has been truly exciting, each one bringing an energy that makes the project grow in an organic and inspiring way,” said Úrsula Budnik, co-founder of recently launched production entity Maquina alongside Augusto Matte and Fernando Bascuñán.
Pascual Mena (“AliEN0089”) is also set to produce on the Chilean side.
Stay tuned for more on Dæmon as it arrives.
