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The DNA of Dignity

In the anonymity of the mass graves, a team of forensic scientists is looking for the last usable traces of human DNA. Their goal: to give the victims back their names and dignity.

  • Jan Baumgartner
    Director
  • Jan Baumgartner
    Writer
  • Jan Baumgartner
    Producer
  • Jan Baumgartner
    Editor
  • Daniel Asadi Faezi
    Editor
  • Lukas Nicolaus
    Director of photography
  • Muniba Muftić
    Actress
  • Mario Batković
    Music
  • Philip Hutter
    Sound Design
  • Nicolas Coleman
    Colour grading
  • Project Type:
    Documentary
  • Runtime:
    1 hour 15 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    August 7, 2022
  • Country of Origin:
    Bosnia and Herzegovina
  • Country of Filming:
    Bosnia and Herzegovina, Netherlands
  • Language:
    Bosnian
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    1:2,39
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    Yes
  • Student Project:
    No
  • Locarno Film Festival
    Locarno
    Switzerland
    August 7, 2022
    National Premiere
    Semaine de la critique
  • Solothurn Film Festival
    Solothurn
    Switzerland
    January 21, 2023
    Nominated for PRIX DE SOLEURE (Main price)
  • Thessaloniki Documentary Film Festival
    Thessaloniki
    Greece
    March 7, 2023
    International premier
    Newcomers competition
  • Crossing Europe Film Festival
    Linz
    Austria
    April 29, 2023
    Documentary competition
  • DokuFest Film Festival
    Prizren
    Kosovo
    August 6, 2023
    Human Rights Dox
  • Sarajevo Film Festival
    Sarajevo
    Bosnia and Herzegovina
    August 17, 2023
    BH Film
  • Job Film Days Film Festival
    Turin
    Italy
    October 6, 2023
    Documentary competition - "Jury Special Mention"
  • Film Prize of the city of Bern
    Bern
    Switzerland
    November 13, 2023
  • Hof Film Festival
    Hof
    Germany
    October 26, 2023
    Official selection
  • Guangzhou Int. Documentary Film Festival
    Guangzhou
    China
    December 10, 2023
    Golden Kapok Screening
  • Barcelona Human Rights Film Festival
    Barcelona
    Spain
    December 2, 2023
    Official selection
  • Docu Days UA
    Kiev
    Ukraine
    June 1, 2024
    Non - competition
  • Int. Human Rights Film Festival
    Tirana
    Albania
    September 19, 2024
    Official selection
  • Pärnu Film Festival
    Pärnu
    Estonia
    October 8, 2024
    Official selection
Distribution Information
  • Jan Baumgartner (Producer, Director)
    Country: Switzerland
    Rights: All Rights
Director Biography - Jan Baumgartner

*1987 in Switzerland. Jan Baumgartner is a self-taught filmmaker. Initially, he was trained in health care as a nursing professional. The war and its impact on society are central themes he deals with in his works. THE DNA OF DIGNITY is his first feature-length movie as a director and producer.

Add Director Biography
Director Statement

Who are the people that have tirelessly worked to restore dignity to the dead since the end of the Balkan wars? To answer this question, I shall take you on a journey into an otherwise inaccessible world – the world of forensic anthropologists and archaeologists.

I would like to show that through reconciliation and the application of science, the bereaved are better equipped to confront their difficult past. Without addressing the issue of guilt, the film strives to break through the firm wall of silence.