The Revolution Against Death

Joshua Oppenheimer / United States, Denmark & Sweden / 2026 / 24 min

Few filmmakers have had as much influence on modern documentary film as Joshua Oppenheimer. With his two masterpieces, The Act of Killing and The Look of Silence (both of which won the main prize at CPH:DOX), he changed the rules for what a documentary can be. With the post-apocalyptic sci-fi musical ‘The End’, he explored the repression and self-deception of an ultra-rich elite, and that project continues in his brand new short film.

Here, we are no longer in a bunker deep underground, but rather under the blinding Californian sun. In minimalist villas that already resemble film sets, we meet a community of aging citizens. With the help of technology, they plan to have themselves frozen after death until they can be resurrected. A disturbing visit to an environment where the question arises: Is it still self-deception if everyone else is on board with the idea?