Disposable Humanity

Tracing the eugenicist roots of Nazi Germany’s genocide through the lesser-known history of the Aktion T4 program, this illuminating documentary unveils the details of the state-sanctioned campaign that targeted approximately 300,000 people with disabilities in the years leading up to the Holocaust. Drawing on interviews with historians and disability rights advocates, archival material, and testimony from families of victims, director Cameron S. Mitchell explores how the language of medicine, care, and efficiency was used to justify the murder of those deemed “life unworthy of life.” More than a mere recounting of historical facts, the film explores how this chapter of Nazi policy has remained mostly absent from public memory and discourse, and what this absence reveals. It invites reflection on how societies define human worth—and expendability. With a quiet, focused approach, Disposable Humanity connects historical memory to present-day conversations about dignity, inclusion, and collective responsibility, as well as offers a timely warning of the connections between fascism and culturally dominant ideas about health and bodily purity. —Johanna Gustin

Bay Area Premiere

Cameron S. Mitchell is an Emmy-winning filmmaker with decades of experience as a director, writer, producer, and cinematographer. His work has appeared on Netflix, Hulu, Disney, and Amazon. Mitchell combines his disability experience with a love for documentary, sci-fi, horror, and meta storytelling to create bold, original work. His narrative short The Co-Op premiered at Slamdance 2021, was presented by Hulu, and won at the Bergen International Film Festival. His Telly-winning short doc Elsa aired on PBS American Masters, and Kryptonite—a finalist for Best Film and Best Writing at the Disability Film Challenge—was featured on CNN. His upcoming feature documentary Disposable Humanity examines his family’s investigation into the Nazi Aktion T4 program’s impact on disabled people. The film received a grant from the Claims Conference and won the Slamdance Unstoppable Audience Award and a Grand Jury Honorable Mention.