JIHLAVA, Czech Republic — The world premiere of acclaimed Latvian filmmaker Dāvis Sīmanis’s latest documentary “Death of Death” on November 30, 2025, at the Ji.hlava International Documentary Film Festival (IDFF) as part of the Testimonies competition.
The film is a deeply personal and thought-provoking exploration born out of the COVID-19 pandemic — a period marked by isolation, fear, and the heightened awareness of mortality. In the face of collective anxiety and personal existential dread, Sīmanis embarks on a cinematic journey to investigate whether science can truly offer a path toward extending human life — or even achieving immortality.
What begins as a sincere attempt to understand longevity research evolves into an existential and darkly humorous odyssey through the global industry of anti-aging, transhumanism, and techno-utopian dreams. Along the way, the director encounters scientists, visionaries, and self-proclaimed prophets who promise escape from death — or at least a chance to delay it.
“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, Director
Visually striking and philosophically daring, the film captures the tension between scientific ambition and existential vulnerability, asking what happens when humanity’s oldest fear meets its most modern technologies.
Dāvis Sīmanis is a Latvian film director and screenwriter known for his poetic and philosophical storytelling that blends documentary and fiction. His documentaries, including Escaping Riga and D is for Division have screened internationally, establishing him as a distinctive voice in European cinema.
The film is a coproduction between Latvian company Ego Media and Czech Kuli Film, supported by Latvian National Film Centre and Czech Film Fund.
