Honorable Mention – “UNCLAIMED REMAINS ‘Forgotten’” (USA)

Title: UNCLAIMED REMAINS ‘Forgotten’
Runtime: 30 min
Country: USA
Director: Thomas Phillips
Placement: Honorable Mention
Competition: March 31, 2020

Synopsis: Sometimes the living must help the dead. In funeral homes throughout the United States and the UK, there are untold numbers of unidentified and unclaimed remains, 20% of these are Military Veterans. They rest above copiers, on shelves, in lockers, and even in utility closets, unnamed and forgotten. Men, Women, Children and War Veterans. How is it that we know nothing about thousands of unclaimed remains? Two Vietnam veterans try to piece together what happened to private “Donald Sutton” (Actor and U.S. Air Force Veteran, Dan Kroeper) a Korean War Veteran whose remains sat on a shelf of a funeral home for over 40 years. Who was he? Why was he forgotten? How did he die? Their goal is to bring peace to the dead and closure to the family. Our hope is to raise public awareness. We need your help. Produced in Association With Vietnam Veterans NJ Shore Area Chapter 12 and the Missing in America Project.