Human Remains

HUMAN REMAINS is a haunting documentary which illustrates the banality of evil by creating intimate portraits of five of this century’s most reviled dictators. The film unveils the personal lives of Adolf Hitler, Benito Mussolini, Joseph Stalin, Francisco Franco and Mao Tse Tung. We learn the private and mundane details of their everyday lives – their favorite foods, films, habits and sexual preferences. There is no mention of their public lives or of their place in history. The intentional omission of the horrors for which these men were responsible hovers over the film.

HUMAN REMAINS addresses this horror from a completely different angle. Irony and even occasional humor are sprinkled throughout the documentary. This darkly poetic film is based entirely on fact, creatively combining direct quotes and biographical research. Though based on historical figures, HUMAN REMAINS is contemporary in its implications and ultimately invites the viewer to confront the nature of evil.

Trailer

Details

Country of Production
USA

Year of Production
1998

Format
16mm, Beta SP Pal, Digi Beta NTSC

Length
30 min

Director
Jay Rosenblatt

Production
Locomation Films

Original Language
English

Festivals / Awards

Oberhausen FF
IDFA
Visions du Réel Nyon
Bilbao Documentary FF
Goteburg FF
San Francisco IFF
St. Petersburg FF
Melbourne IFF
New Zealand FF
Sao Paulo International Short FF
International Documentary Association (Distinguished Documentary Achievement Award)
Hamptons IFF (Best Short Film)
Aspen Shortsfest (Best Documentary)
Toronto Worldwide Short FF (Best Documentary)
Florida FF (Grand Jury Prize, Best Short Documentary)
Vila do Conde Short FF (Grand Prize, Documentary)
Sundance (Jury Award)
BBC British Short FF (Best American Film)
New York Film Expo (Second Place, Documentary)
Humboldt IFF (Best Experimental Film)
Museum of Modern Art, SF (SECA Award)
Worldfest Flagstaff (Gold Award, TV Special/Documentary)
Chicago Underground FF (Silver Award, Experimental)
Palm Springs International Short FF (Honorable Mention)
Ann Arbor FF (Honorable Mention)
Carolina Film & Video Festival (Honorable Mention)
Central Florida Film & Video Festival (Honorable Mention)
National Educational Media Network (Bronze Apple)
DOK Leipzig 2017