The Conscientious Objector

This article is about the documentary film about Desmond Doss. For freedom of conscience in the military, see Conscientious objector. For conscientious objection in medicine, see Conscience clause in medicine in the United States and Conscientious objection to abortion.

The Conscientious Objector is a 2004 documentary film directed by Terry Benedict about the life of Desmond Doss, a conscientious objector who received the Medal of Honor for his service in World War II. Due to his religious convictions as a Seventh-day Adventist, Doss refused to carry a weapon. He initially faced opposition, persecution, and ridicule from his fellow soldiers, but ultimately won their admiration by demonstrating courage and saving many lives as a combat medic.

The Conscientious Objector
Directed by	Terry Benedict
Written by	Terry Benedict Jeff Wood
Produced by	Terry Benedict
Starring	Desmond Doss
Cinematography	Suki Medencevic Darko Suvak Francis Kenny
Edited by	Christopher Cibelli Sean McCulley Jeff Wood
Music by	Bob Christianson
Production companies	Chaparral West D'Artagnan Entertainment
Distributed by	Cinequest
Release date	2004 (2004)
Running time	102 minutes
Language	English

In 2016, Hacksaw Ridge, a fictional film directed by Mel Gibson and starring Andrew Garfield as Doss, was released to critical and commercial success, signaling Gibson's welcome-back to Hollywood. Benedict was one of the producers of Hacksaw Ridge, and the film features several excerpts from The Conscientious Objector immediately before the end credits.

Reception

The film has received more positive acclaim^[1][2][3] and has won multiple awards, including:^[4]

• Long Island International Film Expo Festival Prize – Best Feature Film
• Santa Cruz Film Festival Audience Award – Best Documentary
• Heartland Film Festival Crystal Heart Award – Best Director
• Cinequest Film Festival Audience Choice Award
• Cinequest Film Festival Director's Award