On February 11, 2025, an unprecedented cinematic experiment emerged from West Virginia University that has stunned film lovers and critics alike. The Death of Film, directed by Samuel Felinton and produced alongside Damien Dennis and Declan Mungovan, is currently the second-longest film ever made, clocking in at an astonishing 856 hours — that’s over 35 days of continuous viewing.
Breaking Records: The Longest American, Non-Documentary, and Animated Film
While The Death of Film holds the spot as the second longest film ever made, it sits just one hour shorter than the longest film to date, Logistics (2012), which runs approximately 857 hours. This positions The Death of Film as a nearly unparalleled cinematic marathon, while also preserving the non-ai record.
Additionally, it surpasses the longest animated film record by a vast margin. The previous longest animated film was a tie between China's 30,000 Miles from Chang'an (2023) and Japan’s In This Corner (and Other Corners) of the World (2019) at 168 minutes (2 hours and 48 minutes). By comparison, The Death of Film is a staggering 853 hours longer, setting a new bar in animated filmmaking.
An Artistic Marathon and a Meditation on Cinema
Unlike your typical feature film, The Death of Film isn’t designed for a single sitting or casual viewing. Its extraordinary length demands a marathon-like commitment from audiences. More than just a movie, it is an immersive art installation and an experimental documentary-drama hybrid.
The film explores the fading legacy of traditional celluloid film in the digital era, pairing archival footage, poetic sequences, and contemplative interviews with filmmakers and archivists. Visually, it mixes beautifully composed long shots with grainy vintage clips and abstract animation, all paced slowly to invite deep reflection on the history and future of cinema.
A unique feature of The Death of Film is its use of artificial intelligence to interpret natural landscapes and elements. These AI-generated sequences offer a surreal, meditative experience, blending digital artistry with organic imagery to evoke a new understanding of nature’s place in the digital age.
Funding That Fights Back: Supporting Creators in the Age of AI
Behind this massive undertaking is a passionate effort to preserve and protect creative labor in filmmaking. The funding for The Death of Film flows back into the Animation Guild, actively supporting the fight against the growing impact of artificial intelligence on animators and film professionals. This makes the project not just a tribute to film’s past, but a rallying cry for the industry’s future.
Challenges of Viewing and Reception
Given its nearly 36-day runtime, The Death of Film is rarely experienced in one go. Screenings happen in segments at select festivals or museum retrospectives, allowing audiences to engage with it piece by piece. Critics laud the film for its ambition and depth, while acknowledging that it requires patience and dedication. Many viewers come away seeing it as a profound meditation on impermanence and transformation, perfectly echoing its title. The latest screening happened at West Virginia University.
Why It Matters
The Death of Film forces filmmakers and audiences to rethink what cinema can be. It pushes boundaries around length, format, and storytelling purpose. It’s a monumental statement on how film as a medium is both dying and being reborn amid technological upheaval.
As a creation rooted in West Virginia by Samuel Felinton, Damien Dennis, and Declan Mungovan, this project highlights the power of student-driven innovation and advocacy in shaping the future of creative arts.