Screening: 'No Fear, No Die' (Claire Denis, 1990, 4K Restoration)

Screening: 'No Fear, No Die' (Claire Denis, 1990, 4K Restoration)

Claire Denis' rarely seen work of simmering decolonial rage, S'en fout la mort' (No Fear, No Die) was purportedly written in response to Denis' encounters with the work of the great Martiniquen psychoanalyst, Marxist philosopher, and revolutionary Frantz Fanon (b.1925-d.1961). As protagonists Dah (Isaach De Bankolé) and Jocelyn (Alex Descas) are pulled deeper and deeper into the world of illegal cockfighting by their shady business partner, Pierre (Jean Claude Brialy), the connections with Fanon's brilliant treatises on Blackness and anti-Blackness, colonized and colonizer are made increasingly evident, expounded by Denis' characteristic style: often as brutally clinical as it is strikingly beautiful.

Created on the precipice of international fame earned with films like Beau Travail (1999) and Trouble Every Day (2002), an overlooked No Fear, No Die was only lovingly restored by The Film Desk and Pathé in 2022, finally giving both Denis die-hards and newcomers the chance to encounter a fundamental piece of Denis' artistic puzzle.

On April 17 at 4:00 PM, join us at VCU for a screening of this special work followed by a panel discussion with VCUarts and Humanities faculty on Denis, Fanon, and their radical, ever-relevant connection.

Note: No Fear, No Die is not rated but includes simulated depictions of cockfighting, foul language, violence, and some sexual/adult content

Host or Publisher Dylan Lackey