THE HUMAN RACE

The Past Never Dies.

The Human Race is a feature length documentary film about a monumental mission: In a race against time, an international research team have set out to map the complete DNA blueprint of 5,000 prehistoric human beings. As the DNA library steadily grows, the group of scientists realize that a whole new insight into the story of humankind and understanding of the human brain before their eyes. The Human Race is also a very personal story about professor Eske Willerslev and his goal of making his mark on human history and the future of the human race. However, in his relentless attempt to reach his goal, Eske Willerslev gets swirled into the political, ethical and existential tangle his work creates.

Echoes of ancient DNA
in Everyone of Us.

THE HUMAN RACE

Few subjects fascinate us as much as human origins. ‘The Human Race’ addresses some of the most fundamental questions: Where do we come from? How did we get here? What DNA have we—modern humans—inherited from prehistoric human beings? Where do neurological diseases and psychiatric disorders come from? With each ancient genetic sequence, scientists learn new information about how ancient people moved around and interacted in the ancient world and about their health. In many cases, this has helped overturn theories and resolve age-old debates. In other words, the genomes of the long dead are turning up all sorts of unexpected and controversial findings, laying out bombs into the halls of established wisdom and generating facts about who we are and how we got here. 

Ancient DNA has moved beyond esoteric science and into the center of everyday conversations about identity, health, culture and politics. Although it is the DNA of ancient peoples being studied, the information obtained is having an impact on the lives of living people. ‘The Human Race’ revolves around a wide range of topics. However, the primary focus is on how outstanding research contributes to better world. The film is about a team of exceptional researchers. Their research makes the world smarter, enables us to rethink who we are and how we are all connected, they help us to address global challenges and benefit society by dispel some of the taboos and prejudices that surround neurological diseases and psychiatric disorders