In this latest episode of The Showcast, TFV's Matt Micucci sits down for a conversation with acclaimed animation filmmaker Félix Dufour-Laperrière to explore his striking new film, Death Does Not Exist.

From the surrealist spark that ignited his passion for animation to the years-long journey of bringing a deeply personal, politically-charged tale to life, Dufour-Laperrière discusses the philosophical weight, artistic radicalism, and emotional contradictions that define his latest work.

He also dives into the film's unique hard-drawn aesthetic, its balance of fairytale and tragedy, and the implications of AI for independent animated cinema. Recorded just after the film's premiere and ahead of its screening at the 2025 Annecy International Animation Film Festival, this is an intimate podcast conversation about art, activism, and animation as a living process.

In Death Does Not Exist, a group of young activists launch an armed attack that ends in failure. One of them, Hélène, leaves her comrades behind. As she grapples with guilt and disillusionment, she is visited by a former ally, an apparition that forces her to confront the tangled truths of belief, betrayal, love, and resistance.

Showcast is a series of candid podcast conversations from the world of film, hosted by TFV's Matt Micucci.

CHAPTERS

(00:00) Intro

(01:11) Embracing the Power of Animation

(04:13) A Faustian Pact

(07:42) Activism: Contradictions and Paradoxes

(10:01) Playing with Abstraction

(13:37) The Rise of AI in Animation

(17:09) Animation as a Living Process

(19:10) Cannes Film Festival Experience

(20:49) Outro