In The Family
At 31, filmmaker Joanna Rudnick faces an impossible decision: remove her breasts and ovaries or risk incredible odds of developing cancer. Armed with a positive genetic test result that leaves her essentially 'a ticking time bomb', she balances dreams of having her own children with the unnerving reality that she is risking her life by holding on to her fertility. In The Family follows Joanna as she takes us on a journey through the unpredictable world of predictive genetic testing.
Turning the camera on herself, Joanna bares her conflicting emotions about preventative surgery and the potential consequences. Turning the camera on her new relationship, she and her partner capture a young couple falling in love in the shadow of the mutation. Turning the camera on the company that owns the patents to the BRCA genes, she questions their control over access to the test. Along the way, she looks to other women and families dealing with the same unbelievable information.
Intensely personal and timely, In The Family is a groundbreaking investigation that attempts to answer the question: How much do you sacrifice to survive?
Followed by the panel One Step at a Time: Facing Hereditary Breast Cancer
Co-presented by:
Country: USA
Year: 2008
Language: English
Runtime: 60 minutes
Production Company: Kartemquin Films
Director: Joanna Rudnick
Producer(s): Joanna Rudnick, Beth Iams Wellman
Cinematographer: Dana Kupper
Editor: Leslie Simmer
Sound: Zak Piper
Music: Erin O'Hara
One Step At A Time: Facing Hereditary Breast Cancer
Women with a BRCA positive gene mutation face many choices about how to manage their risk. Following a screening of the documentary
In the Family, this expert panel will present the latest
risk reducing options and provide a forum to discuss issues and answer questions. Join Dr. Mitch Brown, Plastic and Reconstructive
Surgeon, WCH; Dr. Andrea Eisen, Head of Preventative Oncology and Medical Oncologist, Sunnybrook; Dr. Joan Murphy, Head of Gynecologic
Oncology, PMH, and BRCA 2 mutation carrier Sarah Wolf to discuss the reality of risk management.