'HUMAN': Off screen

Discover the participants outside the scope of their stories

HUMAN

HUMAN THE MOVIE

Viridiana - MexicoHUMAN

'HUMAN' is made of aerial images and interviews. Close up shots captured people around the world who tell their life stories looking directly into our eyes, without any outside element disturbing their word. There only is us and them, words that touch us, move us, make us think. The picture tells us nothing about their lives. Shot against a black background, they all appear on an equal footing. Whether we talk about war or about the meaning of their existence, only their words, their tone of voice, the musicality of their language and their faces speak for them. This is the strength of 'HUMAN'.

A young mexican girlHUMAN

Anne-Marie Sangla
00:00

"Yet there are wide shots, filmed during the interviews. The context appears. The street, factories, home, family, farms. Landscapes that anchor them into their reality, and suggest another reading of their words. Complementary elements included in the movie, an extension of the discovery of these men and women who made 'HUMAN'.

For us, the Editors, who have heard all their stories, these wide shots are very moving. A particular one is overwhelming. It portrays a street girl in Mexico. Her story is terrible and so are the wounds of her childhood. Abused and beaten by her grandparents, she fled and found herself on the street at age 10. Her story hurts. Yet she speaks almost serenely, with the right words and a rare strength. In the interview, she lets her tears flow only once, while reminiscing about her deceased dad. She ends by giving us a life lesson, citing her father who taught her to always move on. Living in the past is no use for anything, she said.

When we discovered the wide shot of this little girl who seems so strong, emotions gripped us, as we discovered her body marked by pain. At 14, she seems frozen in childhood, out of sync with the confidence of her look and the strength she emanates while she speaks. She poses facing the camera in a street children home in Mexico. In the background, other children are playing and sitting on a couch watching TV. The sound is muffled. She stands straight, arms along her little body; she looks at us and smiles. Her smile fades…"

Anne-Marie Sangla and Françoise Bernard, Editors of the movie

Paul - United StatesHUMAN

Paul - USAHUMAN

Offscreen - MarshallHUMAN

Katuezu - NamibiaHUMAN

Katuezu - NamibiaHUMAN

Offscreen - BettyHUMAN

Roya - AfghanistanHUMAN

Roya - AfghanistanHUMAN

Offscreen - SeanHUMAN

Francisco - BrazilHUMAN

Francisco - BrazilHUMAN

Offscreen - TristanHUMAN

Amin - AfghanistanHUMAN

Amin - AfghanistanHUMAN

Offscreen - RoslinHUMAN

Angel-Gabriel - MexicoHUMAN

Angel-Gabriel - MexicoHUMAN

Offscreen - SindiweHUMAN

Nacini - EthiopiaHUMAN

Nacini - EthiopiaHUMAN

HUMAN Offscreen shotsHUMAN

Credits: Story

Thank You:

Florent Gilard
Nuno Pires
Mélina Huet
Valentin Wattelet
Sterenn Hall

Photos:

Emmanuel Cappellin
Marine Ottogalli
Chloé Henry-Biabaud
Rémy de Vlieger

A GoodPlanet Foundation & Bettencourt Schueller Foundation Production in partnership with the Google Cultural Institute

Credits: All media
The story featured may in some cases have been created by an independent third party and may not always represent the views of the institutions, listed below, who have supplied the content.
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