06/08/2023

In the anonymity of the mass graves, a team of forensic scientists is looking for the last usable traces of human DNA. Their goal is to give the victims back their names and dignity. This process is well documented in Jan Baumgartner’s first feature, “The DNA of Dignity.”

The Balkan War of the nineties resulted in the disappearance of thousands of people; their remains possibly missing forever. Survivors and those left behind pin their hopes on excavations and scientific work. Baumgartner unfolds the work of forensic anthropologists and archaeologists, but also the uncertainty that follows the everyday life of families in search of the remains of their loved ones. 

“The DNA of Dignity” was screened at DokuFest followed by a Q&A session with the film director. Baumgartner explained that this project lasted four years, and their intention was to show to the general public the really important work of forensic anthropologists and archaeologists in bringing back the identity of missing persons.

He acknowledged that this is a sensitive issue, and explained that society should face it, although it’s a dark history.   
“It is a very sensitive topic. I'm not a person who is afraid of going into those topics. I think we have to face it, it's part of our history, it's a very sad part of the history, but it's going on every day, now as well. We should face those things, but the way how we deal with it that's the big question. How do we show those bones, do we show them as something horrific, something which we fear, or something we connect with hope? That's the freedom we had, and we tried to show that those bones are so important”, said Baumgartner. 

The filmmaker also explained that in this project they put the main focus on the importance of finding the remains of missing persons without any accusations or judgment.   
“We really wanted to take the focus away from certain crime scenes, as well we didn't want to put finger on perpetrators. We know the history and what happened. The problem nowadays is very difficult to find new remains, the chances are getting lower, but you still have a chance and those are perpetrators because they know what happened. So our vision was if we try to make a film and if we can convince a single person to change his mind and to tell anonymously where the victims are then it would be a victory for the film. Just in Bosnia, there are still seven thousand people missing”. 

“The DNA of Dignity” is part of this year’s Human Rights Dox competition. 

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.
 

Photo: Malda Lika