The Death Of James
Director: Sam Chou
Canada, 2024, 14 min
Festival Year:2025
Category:Animation
Genres:Comedy, Drama, Slice of Life, Animation
Cast:Isaiah Lehtinen, Kyle Bailey, Amanda Brugel
Crew:Writer: Ellery Vandooyeweert. Producer: Josh Bowen, Iouri Stepanov.
Email:sam@style5.tv
Synopsis
Based on a true story, "The Death of James" tells the unique journey of two young friends grappling with mortality as they are confronted with the impending loss of a cherished pet ferret. Humorous, awkward, and deeply heartbreaking, the film takes an unflinching look at death, loss, euthanasia, and the uncertainties that may or may not follow, viewed through the eyes of two characters navigating these challenges for the first time.
Trailer
About the director
Sam Chou is an award-winning animation director and showrunner whose films and series have premiered at major festivals including Sundance, TIFF, Annecy, and the Ottawa International Animation Festival. Known for blending cinematic ambition with emotional depth, Chou’s work spans genres—from dark comedy and thriller to documentary and genre animation.
His most recent short film, The Death of James, won the Audience Award at the 2024 Austin Film Festival, Best Canadian Short at TAAFI, and received an Honourable Mention at the Fargo Film Festival. His holiday thriller In The Heat premiered at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival, screened at the Ottawa International Animation Festival, and won Best Short Film at the Vancouver Short Film Festival, Best Animated Short at Midwest WeirdFest, and Gold at the Collision Awards.
In 2023, Chou wrote and directed VRDLK: Family of Vurdulak, a gothic horror short that won Best Animated Short at FilmQuest and Lusca Fantastic Film Fest, and was selected for the Fantasia International Film Festival, North America’s leading genre film showcase.
Chou’s breakout project, Crime: The Animated Series, premiered at Sundance and the Toronto International Film Festival, and received the Best Animation Series for Adults award from the Ottawa International Animation Festival. In recognition of his contributions to the art form, he was awarded the Kaj Pindal Award in 2023 for outstanding impact on Canadian animation.
He began his career as a character animator on feature films such as Osmosis Jones (Warner Bros.), Eight Crazy Nights (Sony), and 101 Dalmatians II (Disney), building a strong foundation in traditional animation before evolving into a director known for bold, emotionally driven storytelling.
IMDB
Filmmaker's note
Yes, this is a true story, and Kevin and Ellery are real people—good friends of mine. The events in The Death of James took place in Vancouver's West End in the early 2000s when we were young artists starting our animation careers.
This deeply personal film is inspired by a significant moment between Kevin and Ellery as they faced a tough decision about Kevin's pet ferret, James. The story, over a decade in the making, delves into how we process death—whether through fear, humor, or belief in the afterlife. Through Kevin and Ellery's eyes, we see the quirky, awkward, yet deeply human ways we confront mortality.
The film is a tribute to friendship, a celebration of life's nuances, and a testament to how we face the reality of death.
Fun fact: Ellery, the real-life inspiration, wrote this script in 2009 as a budding writer. Over the past decade, we've worked on this passion project through trials, failures, and growth, and I'm thrilled to finally share it with the world.