No Fear, No Die (S'en fout la mort)

Isaach de Bankolé and Alex Descas star in the under-seen second feature by celebrated director Claire Denis, an unflinching portrait of two Black immigrant men Dah and Jocely from Benin and French Antilles, scraping out a living through illegal cockfights in a restaurant basement on the outskirts of Paris. Dah and Jocelyn coach their rooster, "S'en fout la mort" ("no fear, no die").

As their restaurateur partner, portrayed by French New Wave legend Jean-Claude Brialy, demands more violence and blood, bonds fray and tensions escalate out of control — all set to a slow-burning score by South African jazz great Abdullah Ibrahim. Inspired by the writings of postcolonial philosopher Frantz Fanon, No Fear, No Die viscerally evokes the psychic trauma experienced by outsiders in a majority-white society. 

No Fear, No Die screens in a new 4K restoration by The Film Desk and Pathé.

Part of our "French Film Festival". In French with English subtitles.

Our French Film Festival is generously sponsored by Albertine Cinematheque, a program of Albertine Foundation & Villa Albertine, with support from the CNC / Centre National du Cinema, and SACEM / Fonds Culturel Franco-Américain.

Cosponsored by the Department of Romance Studies.