Death of Death

synopsis

Death as non-existence, non-being, or the absence of life has been a subject of human interest for millennia. Poets, philosophers, prophets, and hermits have now been replaced by filmmakers, influencers, cryonicists, and evolutionary biologists in the search for the quintessence of life and death. Zoltan Istvan runs a cryonics laboratory and is running for president of the United States with the demand that immortality be included among fundamental human rights. In Russia, a mass festival dedicated to the cult of death is traditionally held. Dāvis Sīmanis' film essay reveals the twists and turns of man's age-old desire for eternal life. It uncovers the metaphorical and fetishistic representations of death and the mechanisms by which we come to terms with our own mortality.

„Immortality, anti-aging, fear of death. When I started the film, I just thought I’d learn how to live a little bit longer. But then things got weird. Scientists reviving pigs at Yale. People sticking neurochips in their heads. Bio-hackers giving out life-extending tips. The whole civilization is living in the age of transhumanism. And I am the only one who is left behind.“ — Dāvis Sīmanis

biography

Dāvis Sīmanis (born 1980) is a Latvian documentary filmmaker, educator, and theorist. He has taught at Aalto University in Helsinki and currently teaches at the University of Riga. His films are regularly screened at festivals such as CPH:DOX and IDFA in Amsterdam. Since 2018, he has been collaborating with Czech producer Radim Procházka (D is for Division, The Year Before the War) and his company Kuli Film.

film details

director:	Davis Simanis
producer:	Guntis Trekteris, Radim Procházka
script:	Uldis Tīrons
photography:	Andrejs Rudzāts
music:	Michal Rataj
sound design:	Vaclav Flegl

contact

Guntis Trekteris/Ego Media
egomedia@egomedia.lv