''In the Family'' is a 2008

documentary film A documentary film or documentary is a non-fictional motion-picture intended to "document reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction, education or maintaining a historical record". Bill Nichols has characterized the documentary in te ...

, produced by

Kartemquin Films Kartemquin Films is a four-time Oscar-nominated 501(c)3 non-profit production company located in Chicago, Illinois, that produces a wide range of documentary films. It is the documentary filmmaking home of acclaimed producers such as Gordon Quinn ...

, about predicting

breast The breast is one of two prominences located on the upper ventral region of a primate's torso. Both females and males develop breasts from the same embryological tissues. In females, it serves as the mammary gland, which produces and sec ...

and

ovarian cancer Ovarian cancer is a cancerous tumor of an ovary. It may originate from the ovary itself or more commonly from communicating nearby structures such as fallopian tubes or the inner lining of the abdomen. The ovary is made up of three different c ...

and the choices women make when they are faced with the dangers of a possible life-threatening disease. The film's director, Joanna Rudnick, tests positive for the familial

BRCA mutation A ''BRCA'' mutation is a mutation in either of the ''BRCA1'' and ''BRCA2'' genes, which are tumour suppressor genes. Hundreds of different types of mutations in these genes have been identified, some of which have been determined to be harmful, ...

that increases her chances of developing breast cancer by 60%. Faced with these odds, Rudnick must examine her choices of possibly taking her chances or possibly having her breasts and ovaries removed. ''In the Family'' takes a look at genetic testing, something that was an impossibility to previous generations, but for some women, the decision to be tested is not easy. Rudnick follows several women going through the decision to be tested, some who are

cancer survivor A cancer survivor is a person with cancer of any type who is still living. Whether a person becomes a survivor at the time of diagnosis or after completing treatment, whether people who are actively dying are considered survivors, and whether ...

s and some that are losing that battle. The question for each woman is, "how much do you sacrifice to survive?" Produced by

, ''In the Family'' premiered on PBS's

P.O.V. ''POV'' (also written ''P.O.V.'') is a Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) public television series which features independent nonfiction films. ''POV'' is an initialism for ''point of view''. ''POV'' is the longest-running showcase on television ...

on October 1, 2008. It was nominated for an Emmy Award for Outstanding Informational Long Form Programming in 2009. In May 2009, director Joanna Rudnick contributed to the Huffington Post supporting a lawsuit made by the ACLU challenging the patent ownership of the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes - the genes responsible for ovarian and breast cancer. Because of their patent control, Myriad Genetics, were being accused of limiting scientific breakthroughs that may lead to better prevention or treatment of ovarian and breast cancer. Parts of the company's patents on the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes were ruled invalid on March 29, 2010 by Judge Robert W. Sweet in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York. Myriad filed a notice of appeal on June 16, 2010 in the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit.Myriad Genetics Appeals Ruling Invalidating Patents
Vorhaus, Dan. Genomics Law Report. 17 June 2010. Retrieved 20 January 2011.

References

External links

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In the Family
' at PBS 2008 films Breast cancer Documentary films about cancer Documentary films about women POV (TV series) films American documentary films 2008 documentary films Kartemquin Films films 2000s English-language films 2000s American films {{bio-documentary-film-stub