In the Family

The In the Family crew just returned from another busy trip to Washington DC. The group held a productive and thought-provoking Outreach Summit, met with Obama’s office to help get the word out about the recent passage of GINA, presented at the Genetic Alliance National Conference and screened the film to great audiences at two screenings at the E Street Cinemas. Read an article covering the visit in the Washington Post Express.

In anticipation of the upcoming In the Family screenings in Washington DC and San Francisco, read this great article on the film featuring an interview with Joanna Rudnick, in Science Progress.

Kartemquin’s Joanna Rudnick, Leslie Simmer, Beth Iams and Gordon Quinn just returned from the world premiere of In the Family at Silverdocs. Following the successful Silverdocs screenings, the film has been garnering even more press attention. Read the latest news and blog posts.

Kartemquin’s In the Family celebrated its world premiere at Silverdocs yesterday afternoon. Footage from the premiere is featured in the video gallery, day three on the Silverdocs site. Following the screening, the audience enjoyed a stimulating panel discussion featuring filmmaker Joanna Rudnick and moderated by P.O.V.’s Simon Kilmurry. Another Silverdocs screening is planned for Saturday afternoon.

Kartemquin’s film In the Family was highlighted in a piece by Pat Aufderheide, discussing the impact and importance of PBS’ P.O.V. in today’s In these Times. Read the article

Additionally, the film was covered in the Washington City Paper and the Washington Post Express.

In the Family will have it’s world premiere at the Silverdocs festival next week! Filmmakers Joanna Rudnick, Gordon Quinn, Beth Iams and Leslie Simmer will be in attendance. Check out the film on Wednesday, June 18th at 2:15pm and then again on Saturday, June 21st at 2:15pm. Get all the details.

Kartemquin’s In the Family is featured in an article in today’s Wilmette Life. Additionally, At the Death House Door was recently highlighted in the International Documentary Association newslestter. Check it out. In the blogosphere, Mapping Stem Cell Research: Terra Incognita was recommended to faith-minded filmgoers on the Explore the Sprit blog.

In anticipation of tomorrow night’s Chicago screening of In the Family sponsored by the Midwest Independent Film Festival, read this article about the film in Screen Magazine.

Following the annual FORCE conference, and the local Chicago sneak peeks, In the Family is clearly resonating with audiences. Read responses on several blogs: total control program, women going down and diva debbi.

Kartemquin’s Joanna Rudnick was quoted in an article in today’s Naperville Sun about the passing of GINA legislation. Rudnick discusses In the Family and how the GINA law will effect her and other BRCA women.

The In the Family crew is thrilled to announce that President Bush has signed the landmark Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act into law. GINA is the first and only federal legislation that will provide protections against discrimination based on an individual’s genetic information in health insurance coverage and employment settings.

Also, in case you missed In the Family at its recent Chicago screenings, you have another chance! In the Family will have an encore Chicago screening as a part of the Midwest Independent Film Festival at Landmark Century on Tuesday night June 3rd. Get the details.

Kartemquin is thrilled to announce that In the Family will have its festival premiere at the prestigious SILVERDOCS film festival this June. Details to come!

In anticipation of Monday's Chicago premiere of In the Family, read this review in the Chicago Sun Times.

A reminder about all of the fantastic and free upcoming Kartemquin screenings. Come support your local documentarians.

Come to the Chicago premiere of Kartemquin's In the Family directed by Joanna Rudnick. Joanna will be present at both screenings, and following the film stay for a panel discussion with the filmmaker and leaders in the field.

• Monday, May 19; 7 pm
• Thorne Auditorium, Arthur Rubloff Building at Northwestern University
• 375 East Chicago Avenue Chicago, IL

• Wednesday, May 21; 7 pm
• Ryan Family Auditorium, Technological Institute at Northwestern University
• 2145 Sheridan Road Evanston, IL

Both screenings are free and open to the public. Seating is first come, first served.

Then, Kartemquin Films, the American Civil Liberties Union, the ACLU of Illinois, the Center on Wrongful Convictions at Northwestern University School of Law, and The Public Square at the Illinois Humanities Council present…

At the Death House Door Screening and Discussion Wednesday, May 28

7:00 PM - 9:30 PM (doors open at 6:30)

Thorne Auditorium, Northwestern University School of Law 375 East Chicago Avenue

This event is free and open to the public. Reservations are required. Email events@prairie.org or call 312-422-5580.

After the screening, there will be a discussion featuring Pickett, Chicago Tribune reporter Steve Mills, filmmakers Steve James and Peter Gilbert, Ed Yohnka of the ACLU of Illinois, and Rob Warden, Executive Director of the Center on Wrongful Convictions at Northwestern University School of Law.

The Northwestern Memorial Foundation hosted a sneak preview of In the Family for friends of the organization last night at the Gene Siskel Film Center in Chicago. The crowd participated in a panel discussion with filmmaker Joanna Rudnick and experts in the field following the film.

Mark your calendars now for the Chicago premiere of Kartemquin's In the Family, directed by Joanna Rudnick. The Center for Genetic Medicine at Northwestern University is sponsoring the screenings as a part of the Silverstein Lecture Series.

• Monday, May 19; 7 pm
• Thorne Auditorium, Arthur Rubloff Building at Northwestern University
• 375 East Chicago Avenue Chicago, IL

• Wednesday, May 21; 7 pm
• Ryan Family Auditorium, Technological Institute at Northwestern University
• 2145 Sheridan Road Evanston, IL

Both screenings are free and open to the public. Seating is first come, first served. Get more information.

Joanna Rudnick recently guest lectured at her alma matter Northwestern University. She presented at colleague Chris Booker’s digital media class for undergraduates in the Medill School of Journalism. Joanna presented In the Family as a case study and shared a clip from the film.

You can now watch clips from several Kartemquin Films on youtube. More to come!

Kartemquin's Joanna Rudnick has shared her story for the Ovarian Cancer National Alliance (OCNA) Campaign to help pass the Biomarker Bill in congress. Her BRCA story forms the core of Kartemquin's recent doc, In the Family.

Kartemquin's In the Family will air nationally on PBS's award-winning series, P.O.V. on October 7th during breast cancer awareness month. Details to come!

Kartemquin's Joanna Rudnick will be participating in a proposal workshop with ITVS's Richard Saiz as a part of IFP Chicago's Doc-u-mania producer's series. They'll be using In the Family as a case study for discussion.

Kartemquin is thrilled to announce that its latest documentary feature, In the Family, has been accepted at the Milan International Film Festival in April.

Cynthia Wade, who filmed many scenes for In the Family, is now an Oscar winner! The entire In the Family team congratulates Cynthia and Freeheld, winner of the 2008 Oscar for best Documentary Short.

Last night, the Gene Siskel Film Center in Chicago was packed with an enthusiastic audience for a sneak preview of Kartemquin's most recent release, In the Family. Opening remarks were delivered by Christie Hefner from the Playboy Foundation and Jean St. Aubin from the Siskel. A lively panel discussion with filmmaker Joanna Rudnick, Lori Andrews and Cathy Wicklund, moderated by Simon Kilmurry, followed the film. Special thanks to P.O.V. and the Playboy Foundation for hosting this wonderful kick-off.

You're invited to a sneak preview of Kartemquin's latest documentary, In the Family, next Tuesday night at the Gene Siskel Film Center. Read the invitation.

Kartemquin's Director of Development Joanna Rudnick is scheduled to participate in the closing plenary of the Grantmakers in Health National Conference in Los Angeles in February 2008. The plenary, "Lights, Camera, Action: Working with Media to Stimulate Change", will feature a campaign director working with Michael Moore's Sicko, the California Newsreel's outreach efforts around Unnatural Causes and Joanna with In the Family.

The holidays have come early for In the Family! In December we received a $30,000 grant from the Michael Reese Health Trust and $10,000 from the Jewish Women's Foundation of Metropolitan Chicago. These grants will support our outreach and education intiatives in 2008. This is the third year of support from MRHT and the second year of support from the JWF. In the Family is grateful to have these strong community partnerships helping us to raise awareness about genetic testing and hereditary cancer throughout Chicagoland and around the country.

In the Family filmmaker Joanna Rudnick is the featured interview this week on ReachMD's "Advances in Women's Health" Series, airing on XM Channel 157. You can visit here to download the podcast and find out the interview's broadcast schedule.

Last night's report on ABC's Nightline, which followed multiple generations of the Davis family dealing with the BRCA mutation, featured a scene from In the Family. Last summer, Joanna filmed with two of the members of the Davis family, Jeff and Richard, for her documentary. Watch the full report.

Martha Haley, one of the women featured in In the Family, is profiled in October's Chicago Magazine. Martha is speaking out against the racial inequalities in breast cancer mortality rates: "These are mothers and sisters who have value in the community—mothers and sisters who make the community…I'm tired of saying goodbye to women who should still be here." Read the full article.