{"id":1320,"date":"2024-10-22T09:03:34","date_gmt":"2024-10-22T09:03:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/movecph.com\/humanrace\/?page_id=1320"},"modified":"2025-04-18T11:15:15","modified_gmt":"2025-04-18T11:15:15","slug":"about","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/movecph.com\/humanrace\/about","title":{"rendered":"About the Film"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"wpb-content-wrapper\">[vc_row thb_full_width=&#8221;true&#8221; thb_row_padding=&#8221;true&#8221; thb_column_padding=&#8221;true&#8221; content_placement=&#8221;middle&#8221; thb_scroll_bottom=&#8221;true&#8221; thb_scroll_bottom_style=&#8221;style3&#8243; thb_scroll_bottom_color=&#8221;light&#8221; thb_shape_divider=&#8221;true&#8221; css=&#8221;.vc_custom_1729602264699{padding-top: 30vh !important;padding-bottom: 25vh !important;background-image: url(https:\/\/movecph.com\/humanrace\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/THR_Shoot_4.jpg?id=1327) !important;background-position: center !important;background-repeat: no-repeat !important;background-size: cover !important;}&#8221; divider_shape=&#8221;tilt&#8221; thb_divider_color=&#8221;#ffffff&#8221; thb_divider_height=&#8221;100&#8243;][vc_column thb_color=&#8221;thb-light-column&#8221;][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner][vc_column_text css=&#8221;&#8221;]\n<h2><i>Digging Up the Past<\/i><\/h2>\n[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column_inner][\/vc_row_inner][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner offset=&#8221;vc_col-lg-5 vc_col-md-8&#8243;][vc_empty_space height=&#8221;10px&#8221;][vc_column_text css=&#8221;&#8221; animation=&#8221;animation fade-in&#8221;]An international team of scientists embarks on a monumental mission to map the whole DNA blueprint of 5,000 ancient human beings. As the DNA library steadily grows, the team discovers that completely new knowledge of the human brain and the history of humanity is unfolding before their very eyes. <strong>Human Race<\/strong> is also a 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.[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column_inner][\/vc_row_inner][\/vc_column][vc_column][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_empty_space height=&#8221;222px&#8221;][vc_column_text css=&#8221;&#8221;]\n<h2 style=\"text-align: center;\"><span class=\"mw-page-title-main\">Square Peg in a Round Hole<\/span><\/h2>\n[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=&#8221;55px&#8221;][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row el_class=&#8221;align-center&#8221;][vc_column width=&#8221;1\/2&#8243; offset=&#8221;vc_col-lg-5 vc_col-md-5&#8243; css=&#8221;.vc_custom_1517841099483{padding-right: 2vh !important;}&#8221;][vc_column_text css=&#8221;&#8221; animation=&#8221;animation fade-in&#8221;]Professor Eske Willerslev has a big idea. He is dreaming of building the world&#8217;s largest collection of prehistoric DNA: A gigantic library with the genetic makeup of the human species, compiled from 5,000 long-dead individuals. It&#8217;s a bold project and in his relentless attempt to reach his goal the professor gets swirled into the political, ethical and existential tangle his work creates. Why is the professor so driven? And what mysteries about the human species does he believe ancient skeletons might hold?[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=&#8221;20px&#8221;][\/vc_column][vc_column width=&#8221;1\/2&#8243; css=&#8221;.vc_custom_1517841006644{padding-right: 8vh !important;}&#8221;][vc_column_text css=&#8221;&#8221; animation=&#8221;animation fade-in&#8221;]For the past five years, Danish filmmaker Simon Lec and his film team have followed Eske Willerslev, chronicling both his personal and professional lives. The outcome is an exciting story of a fiercely competitive scientist and his goal of making his mark on human history and the future of the human race. It is also a heartwarming, real-life documentary film with an incredible story about a maverick professor&#8217;s quest to fit in.[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=&#8221;60px&#8221;][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row el_class=&#8221;align-center&#8221;][vc_column width=&#8221;1\/2&#8243; offset=&#8221;vc_col-lg-5 vc_col-md-5&#8243; css=&#8221;.vc_custom_1517841099483{padding-right: 2vh !important;}&#8221;][vc_column_text css=&#8221;&#8221; animation=&#8221;animation fade-in&#8221;]\n<div class=\"wpb_text_column wpb_content_element animation fade-in \">\n<div class=\"wpb_wrapper\">\n<p>Few subjects fascinate us as much as human origins. \u2018The Human Race\u2019 addresses some of the most fundamental questions: Where do we come from? How did we get here? What DNA have we\u2014modern humans\u2014inherited 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.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=&#8221;75px&#8221;][\/vc_column][vc_column width=&#8221;1\/2&#8243; css=&#8221;.vc_custom_1517841006644{padding-right: 8vh !important;}&#8221;][vc_column_text css=&#8221;&#8221; animation=&#8221;animation fade-in&#8221;]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. \u2018Human Race\u2019 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[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=&#8221;60px&#8221;][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row el_class=&#8221;align-center&#8221; css=&#8221;.vc_custom_1517737250787{padding-bottom: 15vh !important;}&#8221;][vc_column offset=&#8221;vc_col-lg-5 vc_col-md-5&#8243; css=&#8221;.vc_custom_1692270891490{padding-bottom: -100px !important;}&#8221;][vc_empty_space height=&#8221;55px&#8221;][vc_column_text css=&#8221;&#8221;]\n<h3 style=\"text-align: center;\">\u201cHuman Race explores some of humanity\u2019s most pressing questions throughout history. What makes us who we are? And why are we the way we are? It isn\u2019t, however, a traditional science movie. The film offers an intimate, unflinching portrait of maverick scientist Eske Willerslev, adding depth to the broader scientific context and profound insights to our understanding of who we are.\u201d<\/h3>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">Niklas Engstr\u00f8m, Artistic Director of CPH:DOX<\/p>\n[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column]\t\t<div class=\"row thb-content-carousel thb-carousel mini-padding   \" id=\"content-carousel-52\" data-columns=\"medium-6\" data-autoplay=\"true\" data-autoplay-speed=\"8000\" data-pagination=\"true\" data-infinite=\"false\" data-navigation=\"\">\n\t\t\t[vc_single_image image=&#8221;1701&#8243; img_size=&#8221;full&#8221; css=&#8221;&#8221;][vc_single_image image=&#8221;1696&#8243; img_size=&#8221;full&#8221; css=&#8221;&#8221;][vc_single_image image=&#8221;1544&#8243; img_size=&#8221;full&#8221; css=&#8221;&#8221;][vc_single_image image=&#8221;1545&#8243; img_size=&#8221;full&#8221; css=&#8221;&#8221;][vc_single_image image=&#8221;1547&#8243; img_size=&#8221;full&#8221; css=&#8221;&#8221;][vc_single_image image=&#8221;1521&#8243; img_size=&#8221;full&#8221; css=&#8221;&#8221;][vc_single_image image=&#8221;1548&#8243; img_size=&#8221;full&#8221; css=&#8221;&#8221;][vc_single_image image=&#8221;1425&#8243; img_size=&#8221;full&#8221; css=&#8221;&#8221;]\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t[vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner][vc_empty_space height=&#8221;55px&#8221;][\/vc_column_inner][\/vc_row_inner][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row el_class=&#8221;align-center&#8221;][vc_column width=&#8221;1\/2&#8243; offset=&#8221;vc_col-lg-5 vc_col-md-5&#8243; css=&#8221;.vc_custom_1517841099483{padding-right: 2vh !important;}&#8221;][vc_column_text css=&#8221;&#8221; animation=&#8221;animation fade-in&#8221;]\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>Year:<\/strong> 2025<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>Runtime:<\/strong> 100 minutes<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>Languages:<\/strong> English, Danish, French, Norwegian<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>Countries:<\/strong> Denmark, United Kingdom, Norway, Germany, Switzerland, United States<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>Premiere:<\/strong> World Premiere<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>Supported by<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dfi.dk\/en\">The Danish Film Institute<\/a><\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>In Association with<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/tv2.dk\/\">TV2 Denmark<\/a><\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>Produced by<\/strong> <a style=\"color: #000000;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.movecph.com\">Move Copenhagen<\/a><\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>Commissioning Consultant (DFI):<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dfi.dk\/en\">Heidi Kim Andersen<\/a><\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>Commissioning Consultant (TV2):<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/tv2.dk\/\">Nikolaj Daugberg<\/a><br \/>\n<strong>Supported by<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.carlsbergfondet.dk\/en\">Carlsberg Foundation<\/a> +<a href=\"https:\/\/lundbeckfonden.com\/en\"> Lundbeck Foundation<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=&#8221;20px&#8221;][\/vc_column][vc_column width=&#8221;1\/2&#8243; css=&#8221;.vc_custom_1517841006644{padding-right: 8vh !important;}&#8221;][vc_column_text css=&#8221;&#8221; animation=&#8221;animation fade-in&#8221;]\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>Director:<\/strong> <a href=\"http:\/\/www.simonlec.com\">Simon Lec<\/a><\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>Producer:<\/strong> <a href=\"http:\/\/www.movecph.com\">Jacob Levin Krogh<\/a><\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>Director of Photography:<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/benjaminkirk.dk\/\">Benjamin Kirk, DFF<\/a><\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>Music:<\/strong> <a href=\"http:\/\/www.simonlec.com\">Simon Lec<\/a><\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>Sound Design:<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dfi.dk\/viden-om-film\/filmdatabasen\/person\/sylvester-holm\">Sylvester Holm<\/a> &amp; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dfi.dk\/viden-om-film\/filmdatabasen\/person\/frank-molgaard-knudsen\">Frank M\u00f8lgaard Knudsen<\/a><\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>Supervising Editor:<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/andersvilladsen.dk\/\">Anders Villadsen<\/a><\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>Editors:<\/strong> <a href=\"http:\/\/www.simonlec.com\">Simon Lec<\/a> &amp; <a href=\"https:\/\/michaelbauer.dk\/\">Michael Bauer<\/a><\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>Executive Producers:<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dfi.dk\/viden-om-film\/filmdatabasen\/person\/kirstine-barfod\">Kirstine Barfod<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/andreaskoefoed.com\/\">Andreas Koefoed<\/a>, <a href=\"http:\/\/www.movecph.com\">Jacob Levin Krogh<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/benjaminkirk.dk\/\">Benjamin Kirk,<\/a> &amp; <a href=\"http:\/\/www.simonlec.com\">Simon Lec<\/a><\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>Cast:<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/globe.ku.dk\/staff-list\/geogenetics\/?pure=en\/persons\/26558\">Eske Willerslev<\/a>, Tharsika Vimala, Thomas Werge, Lasse Vinner, Marie Louise Schjellerup J\u00f8rkov, Sturla Elingv\u00e5g, Kurt H. Kj\u00e6r, Fabrice Demeter, Rane Willerslev, <a href=\"https:\/\/carlzimmer.com\/\">Carl Zimmer<\/a>, Anne Willerslev, William Barrie, Niobe Thompson, and more.<\/span><\/p>\n[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=&#8221;60px&#8221;][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=&#8221;1\/6&#8243;][\/vc_column][vc_column width=&#8221;1\/6&#8243;][vc_single_image image=&#8221;1172&#8243; img_size=&#8221;full&#8221; css=&#8221;&#8221;][\/vc_column][vc_column width=&#8221;1\/6&#8243;][vc_single_image image=&#8221;1230&#8243; img_size=&#8221;full&#8221; css=&#8221;&#8221;][\/vc_column][vc_column width=&#8221;1\/6&#8243;][vc_single_image image=&#8221;1707&#8243; img_size=&#8221;full&#8221; css=&#8221;&#8221;][\/vc_column][vc_column width=&#8221;1\/6&#8243;][vc_single_image image=&#8221;1185&#8243; img_size=&#8221;60%&#8221; css=&#8221;&#8221;][\/vc_column][vc_column width=&#8221;1\/6&#8243;][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row el_class=&#8221;align-center&#8221;][vc_column width=&#8221;1\/2&#8243; offset=&#8221;vc_col-lg-5 vc_col-md-5&#8243; css=&#8221;.vc_custom_1517841099483{padding-right: 2vh !important;}&#8221;][vc_empty_space height=&#8221;20px&#8221;][\/vc_column][vc_column width=&#8221;1\/2&#8243; css=&#8221;.vc_custom_1517841006644{padding-right: 8vh !important;}&#8221;][vc_empty_space height=&#8221;60px&#8221;][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row thb_full_width=&#8221;true&#8221; thb_row_padding=&#8221;true&#8221; thb_column_padding=&#8221;true&#8221; parallax=&#8221;content-moving&#8221; thb_shape_divider=&#8221;true&#8221; thb_divider_position=&#8221;top&#8221; css=&#8221;.vc_custom_1692270817181{margin-top: 15vh !important;padding-top: 20vh !important;padding-bottom: 20vh !important;background: #ffffff url(https:\/\/movecph.com\/humanrace\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/THR_1.7.4.jpg?id=191);}&#8221; divider_shape=&#8221;tilt&#8221; thb_divider_color=&#8221;#ffffff&#8221;][vc_column][vc_row_inner el_class=&#8221;align-center&#8221;][vc_column_inner thb_color=&#8221;thb-light-column&#8221; el_class=&#8221;text-center&#8221; offset=&#8221;vc_col-lg-6 vc_col-md-9&#8243;][vc_empty_space height=&#8221;40px&#8221;][vc_column_text css=&#8221;&#8221;]\n<h3 style=\"text-align: center;\">Mental illness is completely reframed if we learn that conditions like ADHD, autism, or schizophrenia have always been a part of who we are genetically.<\/h3>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"color: #ffffff;\">Dr. Thomas Werge<\/span><\/p>\n[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space][\/vc_column_inner][\/vc_row_inner][\/vc_column][\/vc_row]\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>[vc_row thb_full_width=&#8221;true&#8221; thb_row_padding=&#8221;true&#8221; thb_column_padding=&#8221;true&#8221; content_placement=&#8221;middle&#8221; thb_scroll_bottom=&#8221;true&#8221; thb_scroll_bottom_style=&#8221;style3&#8243; thb_scroll_bottom_color=&#8221;light&#8221; thb_shape_divider=&#8221;true&#8221; css=&#8221;.vc_custom_1729602264699{padding-top: 30vh !important;padding-bottom: 25vh !important;background-image: url(https:\/\/movecph.com\/humanrace\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/THR_Shoot_4.jpg?id=1327) !important;background-position: center !important;background-repeat: no-repeat !important;background-size: cover !important;}&#8221; divider_shape=&#8221;tilt&#8221; thb_divider_color=&#8221;#ffffff&#8221; thb_divider_height=&#8221;100&#8243;][vc_column thb_color=&#8221;thb-light-column&#8221;][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner][vc_column_text css=&#8221;&#8221;] Digging Up the Past [\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column_inner][\/vc_row_inner][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner offset=&#8221;vc_col-lg-5 vc_col-md-8&#8243;][vc_empty_space height=&#8221;10px&#8221;][vc_column_text css=&#8221;&#8221; animation=&#8221;animation fade-in&#8221;]An international team of scientists embarks on a monumental mission to map the whole DNA blueprint of 5,000&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-1320","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v24.9 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Human Race \/ The Past Never Dies \/ About the Film<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Human Race is a feature length documentary film by Simon Lec about professor Eske Willerslev and his ambition to build the world&#039;s largest collection of prehistoric human DNA. As the DNA library grows, Willerslev and his team discover new insights into who we are. Have mental illnesses like depression, ADHD, bipolar and autism always been ingrained in human DNA? And is it possible that mental illness is actually intimately connected to what it means to be human? Over a period of five years, Simon Lec and his filmcrew have followed Willerslev\u2019s groundbreaking research collaboration between the University of Copenhagen and University of Cambridge, exploring whether mental illness is inherently human. The result is an intimate portrayal of a strong, competitive scientist and his goal to leave his mark on the history and future of humanity. But it is also a heartwarming story of a man who has always felt different and struggled to fit in \u2013 a struggle that his scientific project finally forces him to confront. The project, published in four simultaneous Nature papers, analyzed the DNA of 5,000 ancient individuals and found that susceptibility to mental illness is deeply rooted in our evolutionary history. Niklas Engstr\u00f8m, Artistic Director of CPH:DOX says: \u201cHuman Race explores some of humanity\u2019s most pressing questions throughout history. What makes us who we are? And why are we the way we are? It isn\u2019t, however, a traditional science movie. The film offers an intimate, unflinching portrait of maverick scientist Eske Willerslev, adding depth to the broader scientific context and profound insights to our understanding of who we are. Human Race is produced by Jacob Levin Krogh. Director of Photography: Benjamin Kirk, DFF. Human Race is supported by The Danish Film InstituteIn Association with TV2 Denmark. Produced by Move Copenhagen. Commissioners: Heidi Kim Andersen, Nikolaj Daugberg, Supported by Carlsbergfondet, Lundbeck Fonden. Sound: Sylvester Holm &amp; Frank M\u00f8lgaard Knudsen. Editors: Anders Villadsen, Simon Lec, Michael Bauer. Executive Producers: Kirstine Barfod, Andreas Koefoed, Jacob Levin Krogh, Benjamin Kirk &amp; Simon Lec.Cast: Eske Willerslev, Tharsika Vimala, Thomas Werge, Lasse Vinner, Sturla Elingv\u00e5g, Rane Willerslev, Carl Zimmer, William Barrie, Niobe Thompson, and more. More information: www.humanrace.dk\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/movecph.com\/humanrace\/about\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Human Race \/ The Past Never Dies \/ About the Film\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Human Race is a feature length documentary film by Simon Lec about professor Eske Willerslev and his ambition to build the world&#039;s largest collection of prehistoric human DNA. As the DNA library grows, Willerslev and his team discover new insights into who we are. Have mental illnesses like depression, ADHD, bipolar and autism always been ingrained in human DNA? And is it possible that mental illness is actually intimately connected to what it means to be human? Over a period of five years, Simon Lec and his filmcrew have followed Willerslev\u2019s groundbreaking research collaboration between the University of Copenhagen and University of Cambridge, exploring whether mental illness is inherently human. The result is an intimate portrayal of a strong, competitive scientist and his goal to leave his mark on the history and future of humanity. But it is also a heartwarming story of a man who has always felt different and struggled to fit in \u2013 a struggle that his scientific project finally forces him to confront. The project, published in four simultaneous Nature papers, analyzed the DNA of 5,000 ancient individuals and found that susceptibility to mental illness is deeply rooted in our evolutionary history. Niklas Engstr\u00f8m, Artistic Director of CPH:DOX says: \u201cHuman Race explores some of humanity\u2019s most pressing questions throughout history. What makes us who we are? And why are we the way we are? It isn\u2019t, however, a traditional science movie. The film offers an intimate, unflinching portrait of maverick scientist Eske Willerslev, adding depth to the broader scientific context and profound insights to our understanding of who we are. Human Race is produced by Jacob Levin Krogh. Director of Photography: Benjamin Kirk, DFF. Human Race is supported by The Danish Film InstituteIn Association with TV2 Denmark. Produced by Move Copenhagen. Commissioners: Heidi Kim Andersen, Nikolaj Daugberg, Supported by Carlsbergfondet, Lundbeck Fonden. Sound: Sylvester Holm &amp; Frank M\u00f8lgaard Knudsen. Editors: Anders Villadsen, Simon Lec, Michael Bauer. Executive Producers: Kirstine Barfod, Andreas Koefoed, Jacob Levin Krogh, Benjamin Kirk &amp; Simon Lec.Cast: Eske Willerslev, Tharsika Vimala, Thomas Werge, Lasse Vinner, Sturla Elingv\u00e5g, Rane Willerslev, Carl Zimmer, William Barrie, Niobe Thompson, and more. More information: www.humanrace.dk\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/movecph.com\/humanrace\/about\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"The Human Race\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/movecph\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-04-18T11:15:15+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"7 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/movecph.com\/humanrace\/about\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/movecph.com\/humanrace\/about\",\"name\":\"Human Race \/ The Past Never Dies \/ About the Film\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/movecph.com\/humanrace\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2024-10-22T09:03:34+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-04-18T11:15:15+00:00\",\"description\":\"Human Race is a feature length documentary film by Simon Lec about professor Eske Willerslev and his ambition to build the world's largest collection of prehistoric human DNA. As the DNA library grows, Willerslev and his team discover new insights into who we are. Have mental illnesses like depression, ADHD, bipolar and autism always been ingrained in human DNA? And is it possible that mental illness is actually intimately connected to what it means to be human? Over a period of five years, Simon Lec and his filmcrew have followed Willerslev\u2019s groundbreaking research collaboration between the University of Copenhagen and University of Cambridge, exploring whether mental illness is inherently human. The result is an intimate portrayal of a strong, competitive scientist and his goal to leave his mark on the history and future of humanity. But it is also a heartwarming story of a man who has always felt different and struggled to fit in \u2013 a struggle that his scientific project finally forces him to confront. The project, published in four simultaneous Nature papers, analyzed the DNA of 5,000 ancient individuals and found that susceptibility to mental illness is deeply rooted in our evolutionary history. Niklas Engstr\u00f8m, Artistic Director of CPH:DOX says: \u201cHuman Race explores some of humanity\u2019s most pressing questions throughout history. What makes us who we are? And why are we the way we are? It isn\u2019t, however, a traditional science movie. The film offers an intimate, unflinching portrait of maverick scientist Eske Willerslev, adding depth to the broader scientific context and profound insights to our understanding of who we are. Human Race is produced by Jacob Levin Krogh. Director of Photography: Benjamin Kirk, DFF. Human Race is supported by The Danish Film InstituteIn Association with TV2 Denmark. Produced by Move Copenhagen. Commissioners: Heidi Kim Andersen, Nikolaj Daugberg, Supported by Carlsbergfondet, Lundbeck Fonden. Sound: Sylvester Holm & Frank M\u00f8lgaard Knudsen. Editors: Anders Villadsen, Simon Lec, Michael Bauer. Executive Producers: Kirstine Barfod, Andreas Koefoed, Jacob Levin Krogh, Benjamin Kirk & Simon Lec.Cast: Eske Willerslev, Tharsika Vimala, Thomas Werge, Lasse Vinner, Sturla Elingv\u00e5g, Rane Willerslev, Carl Zimmer, William Barrie, Niobe Thompson, and more. More information: www.humanrace.dk\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/movecph.com\/humanrace\/about#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/movecph.com\/humanrace\/about\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/movecph.com\/humanrace\/about#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/movecph.com\/humanrace\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"About the Film\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/movecph.com\/humanrace\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/movecph.com\/humanrace\/\",\"name\":\"The Human Race\",\"description\":\"The Past Never Dies\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/movecph.com\/humanrace\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/movecph.com\/humanrace\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/movecph.com\/humanrace\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Move Copenhagen\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/movecph.com\/humanrace\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/movecph.com\/humanrace\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/movecph.com\/humanrace\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/Human-Race_MoveCPH_Hori_2.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/movecph.com\/humanrace\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/Human-Race_MoveCPH_Hori_2.jpg\",\"width\":1920,\"height\":890,\"caption\":\"Move Copenhagen\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/movecph.com\/humanrace\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/movecph\"]}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Human Race \/ The Past Never Dies \/ About the Film","description":"Human Race is a feature length documentary film by Simon Lec about professor Eske Willerslev and his ambition to build the world's largest collection of prehistoric human DNA. As the DNA library grows, Willerslev and his team discover new insights into who we are. Have mental illnesses like depression, ADHD, bipolar and autism always been ingrained in human DNA? And is it possible that mental illness is actually intimately connected to what it means to be human? Over a period of five years, Simon Lec and his filmcrew have followed Willerslev\u2019s groundbreaking research collaboration between the University of Copenhagen and University of Cambridge, exploring whether mental illness is inherently human. The result is an intimate portrayal of a strong, competitive scientist and his goal to leave his mark on the history and future of humanity. But it is also a heartwarming story of a man who has always felt different and struggled to fit in \u2013 a struggle that his scientific project finally forces him to confront. The project, published in four simultaneous Nature papers, analyzed the DNA of 5,000 ancient individuals and found that susceptibility to mental illness is deeply rooted in our evolutionary history. Niklas Engstr\u00f8m, Artistic Director of CPH:DOX says: \u201cHuman Race explores some of humanity\u2019s most pressing questions throughout history. What makes us who we are? And why are we the way we are? It isn\u2019t, however, a traditional science movie. The film offers an intimate, unflinching portrait of maverick scientist Eske Willerslev, adding depth to the broader scientific context and profound insights to our understanding of who we are. Human Race is produced by Jacob Levin Krogh. Director of Photography: Benjamin Kirk, DFF. Human Race is supported by The Danish Film InstituteIn Association with TV2 Denmark. Produced by Move Copenhagen. Commissioners: Heidi Kim Andersen, Nikolaj Daugberg, Supported by Carlsbergfondet, Lundbeck Fonden. Sound: Sylvester Holm & Frank M\u00f8lgaard Knudsen. Editors: Anders Villadsen, Simon Lec, Michael Bauer. Executive Producers: Kirstine Barfod, Andreas Koefoed, Jacob Levin Krogh, Benjamin Kirk & Simon Lec.Cast: Eske Willerslev, Tharsika Vimala, Thomas Werge, Lasse Vinner, Sturla Elingv\u00e5g, Rane Willerslev, Carl Zimmer, William Barrie, Niobe Thompson, and more. More information: www.humanrace.dk","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/movecph.com\/humanrace\/about","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Human Race \/ The Past Never Dies \/ About the Film","og_description":"Human Race is a feature length documentary film by Simon Lec about professor Eske Willerslev and his ambition to build the world's largest collection of prehistoric human DNA. As the DNA library grows, Willerslev and his team discover new insights into who we are. Have mental illnesses like depression, ADHD, bipolar and autism always been ingrained in human DNA? And is it possible that mental illness is actually intimately connected to what it means to be human? Over a period of five years, Simon Lec and his filmcrew have followed Willerslev\u2019s groundbreaking research collaboration between the University of Copenhagen and University of Cambridge, exploring whether mental illness is inherently human. The result is an intimate portrayal of a strong, competitive scientist and his goal to leave his mark on the history and future of humanity. But it is also a heartwarming story of a man who has always felt different and struggled to fit in \u2013 a struggle that his scientific project finally forces him to confront. The project, published in four simultaneous Nature papers, analyzed the DNA of 5,000 ancient individuals and found that susceptibility to mental illness is deeply rooted in our evolutionary history. Niklas Engstr\u00f8m, Artistic Director of CPH:DOX says: \u201cHuman Race explores some of humanity\u2019s most pressing questions throughout history. What makes us who we are? And why are we the way we are? It isn\u2019t, however, a traditional science movie. The film offers an intimate, unflinching portrait of maverick scientist Eske Willerslev, adding depth to the broader scientific context and profound insights to our understanding of who we are. Human Race is produced by Jacob Levin Krogh. Director of Photography: Benjamin Kirk, DFF. Human Race is supported by The Danish Film InstituteIn Association with TV2 Denmark. Produced by Move Copenhagen. Commissioners: Heidi Kim Andersen, Nikolaj Daugberg, Supported by Carlsbergfondet, Lundbeck Fonden. Sound: Sylvester Holm & Frank M\u00f8lgaard Knudsen. Editors: Anders Villadsen, Simon Lec, Michael Bauer. Executive Producers: Kirstine Barfod, Andreas Koefoed, Jacob Levin Krogh, Benjamin Kirk & Simon Lec.Cast: Eske Willerslev, Tharsika Vimala, Thomas Werge, Lasse Vinner, Sturla Elingv\u00e5g, Rane Willerslev, Carl Zimmer, William Barrie, Niobe Thompson, and more. More information: www.humanrace.dk","og_url":"https:\/\/movecph.com\/humanrace\/about","og_site_name":"The Human Race","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/movecph","article_modified_time":"2025-04-18T11:15:15+00:00","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Est. reading time":"7 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/movecph.com\/humanrace\/about","url":"https:\/\/movecph.com\/humanrace\/about","name":"Human Race \/ The Past Never Dies \/ About the Film","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/movecph.com\/humanrace\/#website"},"datePublished":"2024-10-22T09:03:34+00:00","dateModified":"2025-04-18T11:15:15+00:00","description":"Human Race is a feature length documentary film by Simon Lec about professor Eske Willerslev and his ambition to build the world's largest collection of prehistoric human DNA. As the DNA library grows, Willerslev and his team discover new insights into who we are. Have mental illnesses like depression, ADHD, bipolar and autism always been ingrained in human DNA? And is it possible that mental illness is actually intimately connected to what it means to be human? Over a period of five years, Simon Lec and his filmcrew have followed Willerslev\u2019s groundbreaking research collaboration between the University of Copenhagen and University of Cambridge, exploring whether mental illness is inherently human. The result is an intimate portrayal of a strong, competitive scientist and his goal to leave his mark on the history and future of humanity. But it is also a heartwarming story of a man who has always felt different and struggled to fit in \u2013 a struggle that his scientific project finally forces him to confront. The project, published in four simultaneous Nature papers, analyzed the DNA of 5,000 ancient individuals and found that susceptibility to mental illness is deeply rooted in our evolutionary history. Niklas Engstr\u00f8m, Artistic Director of CPH:DOX says: \u201cHuman Race explores some of humanity\u2019s most pressing questions throughout history. What makes us who we are? And why are we the way we are? It isn\u2019t, however, a traditional science movie. The film offers an intimate, unflinching portrait of maverick scientist Eske Willerslev, adding depth to the broader scientific context and profound insights to our understanding of who we are. Human Race is produced by Jacob Levin Krogh. Director of Photography: Benjamin Kirk, DFF. Human Race is supported by The Danish Film InstituteIn Association with TV2 Denmark. Produced by Move Copenhagen. Commissioners: Heidi Kim Andersen, Nikolaj Daugberg, Supported by Carlsbergfondet, Lundbeck Fonden. Sound: Sylvester Holm & Frank M\u00f8lgaard Knudsen. Editors: Anders Villadsen, Simon Lec, Michael Bauer. Executive Producers: Kirstine Barfod, Andreas Koefoed, Jacob Levin Krogh, Benjamin Kirk & Simon Lec.Cast: Eske Willerslev, Tharsika Vimala, Thomas Werge, Lasse Vinner, Sturla Elingv\u00e5g, Rane Willerslev, Carl Zimmer, William Barrie, Niobe Thompson, and more. More information: www.humanrace.dk","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/movecph.com\/humanrace\/about#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/movecph.com\/humanrace\/about"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/movecph.com\/humanrace\/about#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/movecph.com\/humanrace\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"About the Film"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/movecph.com\/humanrace\/#website","url":"https:\/\/movecph.com\/humanrace\/","name":"The Human Race","description":"The Past Never Dies","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/movecph.com\/humanrace\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/movecph.com\/humanrace\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/movecph.com\/humanrace\/#organization","name":"Move Copenhagen","url":"https:\/\/movecph.com\/humanrace\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/movecph.com\/humanrace\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/movecph.com\/humanrace\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/Human-Race_MoveCPH_Hori_2.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/movecph.com\/humanrace\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/Human-Race_MoveCPH_Hori_2.jpg","width":1920,"height":890,"caption":"Move Copenhagen"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/movecph.com\/humanrace\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/movecph"]}]}},"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/movecph.com\/humanrace\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1320","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/movecph.com\/humanrace\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/movecph.com\/humanrace\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/movecph.com\/humanrace\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/movecph.com\/humanrace\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1320"}],"version-history":[{"count":87,"href":"https:\/\/movecph.com\/humanrace\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1320\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1869,"href":"https:\/\/movecph.com\/humanrace\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1320\/revisions\/1869"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/movecph.com\/humanrace\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1320"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}