The Rest Is Silence

The Rest is Silence follows the course of an unidentified body through its progress from discovery to burial.

This film focuses not on the body itself (i.e. not on the actual corpse, nor on the procedural aspects of autopsy, attempts at identification etc.), but on the people around it.

The essential silence of the body, the former person for whom all this work is done, forms the core of the film. The characters of the people around it (police officers, morticians, mortuary attendants etc.) are explored in a silence mirroring that of the body, without unnecessary verbal commentary.

Specifically, the film attempts to expose the nature of the silent world through which a body passes on its way to its final resting place.

The Rest Is Silence is Andrew Henderson's directorial debut. It was filmed as part of the Bridging The Gap scheme in June 2005.

The film can be viewed on the Scottish Documentary Institute website. More information about this and Andrew's other work is available at his MySpace page.

Festivals and Awards

• 2005: Edinburgh International Film Festival (UK) Industry Screening.
• 2005: Nominated by BAFTA Scotland in the category of best first-time Director.
• 2006: The Real Life on Film Festival (Australia). An official part of the 2006 Melbourne Commonwealth Games cultural programme.
• 2006: Celtic Film and Television Festival (UK). Director Andrew Henderson Wins the Frank Copplestone First Time Director Award.
• 2006: Silverdocs: AFI/Discovery Channel Documentary Festival (USA).
• 2006: Huesca Film Festival (Spain).
• 2006: Mecal Interntional Short Film Festival (Spain).
• 2006: DokumentART European Film Festival (Germany).
• 2006: DocuDays: Beirut International Documentary Festival (Lebanon).
• 2006: Cucalorus Film Festival (USA).
• 2006: International Urban Film Festival (Iran).
• 2008: The International Festival of Cinema and Technology (USA). Best Cinematography in a Documentary and Best Experimental Documentary.