In the Family

Filmmaker Joanna Rudnick and her film In the Family have the final word in a recent Washington Post article on the ACLU lawsuit against Myriad Genetics' patenting of the test to detect the BRCA gene mutation. The article by Kari Lydersen outlines the arguments on both sides of the case, featuring comments from representatives of the ACLU and Myriad, before ending with the following passage:

Chicago filmmaker Joanna Rudnick tested positive in 2001 for the gene mutation, and later got a second opinion in Canada while she was there producing a documentary about BRCA. While Canadian doctors often send samples to Myriad for testing, some Canadian universities and researchers do a different type of test that can confirm mutations of the BRCA gene.

A second opinion is "an option most women don't have," Rudnick said, since insurance typically wouldn't cover a second test. Her documentary argues that Myriad's patents impede development of a more accurate and cheaper test.

"If they had a non-exclusive patent, they could still be testing and making money, they'd just have competition," Rudnick said. "That's American." 

Find out more about the ACLU lawsuit here. The DVD of In the Family is available to purchase in editions for both individuals and institutions here.

Northwestern University in Qatar will host the Middle East premiere of the Emmy-nominated documentary In the Family on March 16th at 9pm. Director/Producer Joanna Rudnick will attend the screening. NU-Q students will also screen their own mini-documentary, which has been submitted to the Al Jazeera Documentary Film Festival competition, as part of the event.

The breakthrough screening marks yet another remarkable achievement for the 2008 film, which also continues to screen across the US and is regularly being used as a focal point for opening up discussions about genetic patenting and cancer awareness. The New York Law School will host a screening of the film and a panel discussion on February 22nd, and Yale Law School recently hosted a similar event on February 11th.

Rudnick will be in Qatar as part of a month-long trip she is undertaking to film the work of photographer Rick Guidotti's Positive Exposure project in addressing the treatment of Albinism in Africa and the Middle East for her next film, On Beauty. The film's crew - Rudnick, Guidotti, Dana Kupper and John Mathie - leave for Kenya on Saturday to begin filming. To support the project, click here.

Kartemquin would like to congratulate director/producer Joanna Rudnick for receiving a FORCE (Facing Our Risk of Cancer Empowered) 'Spirit of Empowerment Award.' Joanna will be honored in the Arts and Media category for giving "a powerful and moving voice to the hereditary cancer community" through her award-winning film In the Family. 

The inaugural Spirit of Empowerment awards will be presented on June 26, 2010 at the 5th Annual Joining FORCEs Conference in Orlando, FL. Get more information.

As the 'noughties' draw to a close, many critics have been publishing their lists of the decade's best films. Kartemquin is honored that our 2003 film Stevie is represented in a few of these lists, capping an incredible decade of growth and achievement for our organization.

Stevie is increasingly being recognized as a modern documentary masterpiece, gaining acclaim as one of the top 25 essential documentaries of the decade in a list by popular online critic Marilyn Ferdinand. NewCity Film critic Ray Pride went even further, listing Stevie at #19 in his ranking of the decade's best films in any genre. Only one other documentary placed higher. Stevie also gained a #5 place on Filmsweep's list of the decade's best documentaries, was #1 on Collin Souter's list on eFilmCritic, and was the highest-placed documentary on this top 50. The Onion AV Club's Keith Phipps also placed the film at #57 on his top 100, and Sunday Morning Reviews ranked it at #19, calling Steve James "the best documentarian working today… to make Stevie and Hoop Dreams in one lifetime is an amazing feat."

Our 2004 series The New Americans was also heralded as "the greatest accomplishment of any documentary this decade" while placing at #2 on a list of the top 10 Chicago movies of the past decade by Chicago Beat.

During the past decade, Kartemquin Films has released ten documentaries and received numerous awards and accolades, including a MacArthur 'Genius' Award for Creative and Effective Institutions, a Peabody Award (for Terra Incognita: Mapping Stem Cell Research), an Emmy-nomination (for In the Family), a Gold Hugo (for The New Americans), and several other awards from film festivals across the world including Sundance, IDFA, Atlanta, Chicago, Full Frame, Florida and many more. Two Kartemquin films have also been short-listed for the Academy award for Best Documentary (Stevie and At the Death House Door).

As we enter into our 44th year, with three new films - Typeface, No Crossover: The Trial of Allen Iverson, and Prisoner of her Past - screening across the world in 2010, and a number of our classic films due to be released on DVD, we look forward another decade of successful cinematic social enquiry. Happy new year!

"Should human genes ever be the subject of patent protection?" - Wall St. Journal

Media coverage about the issue of gene patenting has increased in recent weeks relating to a landmark legal case on behalf of several patients who carry the BRCA1 and BRCA1 genes, filed against the United States Patent and Trademark Office and Myriad Genetics. Last week the Wall. St. Journal had an article about the case, and the issue of gene patenting was also the focus on NPR Radio's Science Friday.

In May 2009, Kartemquin's Joanna Rudnick wrote an article for the Huffington Post which describes her personal relation to the case, and also features a video clip of her meeting with Dr. Mark Skolnick of Myriad Genetics, taken from the Emmy-nominated In the Family.

Joanna Rudnick and In the Family are also featured in a video on the American Medical Association's Make Reform A Reality website, which recommends seven "critical elements necessary to improve access to affordable, quality care and reduce unnecessary costs."

In the Family is available on iTunes.

Kartemquin Films and the producers of In the Family ask that you please join us in helping Martha Haley, who appeared in the film and is battling metastatic breast cancer, with her living expenses by donating to Martha through the Emergency Fund. Please specify "Martha Haley Fund" in the comments section. Thank you so much for your support.

http://donate.emergencyfund.org

U.S. users of iTunes can now download two acclaimed Kartemquin documentaries. Find festival favorite Milking the Rhino and the 2008 Peabody award-winning Terra Incognita: Mapping Stem Cell Research by searching for "Independent Lens" in the iTunes store. Both films are $9.99. Kartemquin looks forward to reading your reviews on the site.

Also, read Cecilia Wendiga's excellent blog post about Milking the Rhino for some links to recent outreach events related to the film, and some valuable background information on community-based conservation in Africa.

~ Watch Milking the Rhino now

~ Watch Terra Incognita now

Other award-winning Kartemquin films also available on iTunes:

~ Watch At the Death House Door now

~ Watch In the Family now

A federal district court has ruled that patients and scientists can challenge patents on human genes in court, allowing the ACLU and PUBPAT lawsuit challenging BRCA patents to move forward. Read the press release and view new photos from the ACLU's In the Family screening in New York.

Kartemquin's Emmy-nominated documentary In the Family has a number of screenings this October in support of Breast Cancer Awareness Month. The series of screenings in New York City, Chicago and Washington D.C. will encompass some of the most important advocacy and health education issues raised in the film.

In New York, Joanna will screen the documentary and lend her voice to the important discussion surrounding the ethics of patenting the BRCA genes at a screening sponsored by Cardozo School of Law & The Public Patent Foundation, and at a screening sponsored by the ACLU. She will continue this discussion in Chicago at the American Society of Clinical Pathology Conference (The ASCP is a plaintiff in the ACLU case against Myriad).  Finally, in Washington DC, Joanna will screen the film at a Capitol Hill Briefing sponsored by Susan G. Komen to advocate the passing of Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz’s legislation promoting early detection of breast and ovarian cancer.

Check the official website for screening dates and RSVP information.

Viewers of NBC television in Chicago will get two chances to view projects relating to Kartemquin Films today.

First, the nationwide Bonnie Hunt Show will showcase a video about the Northwestern Brain Tumor Institute produced by Kartemquin's Joanna Rudnick (In the Family) and edited by Leslie Simmer at 2pm CST.

Then at 6pm CST NBC News Chicago will be airing interviews they conducted at Kartemquin this week related to Kartemquin's celebration of the 15th Anniversary of Hoop Dreams. Hoop Dreams director Steve James will be featured in the NBC clip along with the film's star William Gates and two students from the Better Boys Foundation who have made a short tribute to the film that will air in advance of a FREE 16mm screening of Hoop Dreams at the Better Boys Foundation on Friday October 16th.

At the upcoming ABA 2009 Annual Meeting, the Special Committee on Bioethics and the Law will sponsor the CLE Program Is it in My Family? One Woman's Journey through Genetic Testing.

The session, which impacts a broad range of legal topics, includingfamily law, health law, intellectual property, individual rights andresponsibilities, insurance law, science and technology, and bioethicsand the law, will examine the pros and cons of predictive genetictesting and the effects on individuals and their families.

The July 31st program will feature clips from In the Family and a panel discussion with filmmaker Joanna Rudnick.  The film will also screen in its entirety as a part of the ABA Annual meeting on August 2nd.

This weekend Kartemquin's Gordon Quinn will travel to Scottsdale, Arizona to speak to an audience of oncologists about In the Family. The conference, organized annually by the journal Community Oncology, will deal with issues of quality care for cancer patients. Leading a panel entitled, "Living with the Specter of Cancer," Gordon will use clips from In the Family to help clinical oncologists understand the concept of "pre-survivorship" and survivorship more deeply, as well as talk about ways they can be more sensitive to it in their medical practice.

Mark your calendars now! Three Kartemquin films (Milking the Rhino, Stevie and In the Family) are being featured in an upcoming series of ten films honoring the centennial of the University of Chicago's school of social service.

From their website: Born from the ideals for change of the Progressive Era, the School of Social Service Administration has been an advocate and resource for the disadvantaged in Chicago for 100 years. SSA has a history of impact on the issues that are central to the lives of the city’s citizens, families, and neighborhoods: Poverty. Education. Family support. Mental illness. Crime. Urban development. Health care. Housing. Substance abuse. Child welfare. Employment. That legacy continues today.

In light of this storied legacy, Doc and the SSA (with special thanks to Kartemquin Films, three of whose titles we’re showing in the series) present ten films that relate to a broad range of social service issues.

Read more about the series and get details on their website.

Kartemquin's Joanna Rudnick discusses her experience with ITVS and In the Family in an article in this month's The Independent. Check it out.

A 3-pack of women-made Kartemquin Films is in this year's Women's Media Center Online Auction. Check it out. Bid high, bid often.

Congratulations to Leslie Simmer and the entire In the Family crew for their "Best Editing" win at last night's "Best of the Midwest Awards" (BMAs). The awards, hosted by the Midwest Independent Film Festival, spotlight documentary and independent feature work from around the Midwest.

Kartemquin's Steve James presented the award for Best Documentary, and Joanna Rudnick and Justine Nagan also attended the ceremony on behalf of the organization. A surprising and fun Kartemquin Films shout-out from Actor John C. Reilly during his acceptance speech, read by Director Steve Conrad, rounded out the night.

Director Joanna Rudnick has been across the country this week promoting In the Family and speaking at community screenings. From Philadelphia to Palo Alto, the film has been reaching a broad range of audiences. Two screenings for Medical and Law students marked the past two weeks in November. Dr. Maren Grainger-Monsen and the Stanford Center for Biomedical Ethics presented a screening and Director Joanna Rudnick had a wonderful time speaking with the intelligent students from the Genetic Counseling and Bioethics and Film Programs at Stanford.

Joanna also spoke with students from The Beazley Institute for Health Law and Policy at Loyola University Chicago School of Law after a screening of the film presented by Matthew Herder.

Be sure to check out our next screening presented by the Chicago Center for Jewish Genetic Disorders: Wednesday, December 17, 2008 North Shore Center for the Performing Arts • 9501 Skokie Blvd, Skokie, IL 60077 6:30 pm reception • 7:15 pm film • 8:45 pm Q&A with panel. For more information. Read some recent press on the film.

Kartemquin's Joanna Rudnick will travel to Philadelphia on Wednesday to present at the American Society of Human Genetics Annual Conference. Joanna will be speaking on the process of making a documentary film from concept to public education campaign and showing clips from In the Family.

Also, the film is up for several awards in the Midwest Independent Film Festival's "Best of Fest" awards. VOTE NOW!

Check out this week's Chicago Tribune Magazine for a cover story on Joanna Rudnick and In the Family. Additionally, we just learned that the film has been accepted into the prestigious Council on Foundations Film Festival for 2009 in Atlanta.

In case you missed the national broadcast premiere of In the Family on PBS's P.O.V. series last night, there are still opportunities to view! Many local stations will have additional broadcasts over the weekend (check local listings), watch the entire documentary free online through the end of October, buy the DVD, or check out local screenings in Anchorage, AK and Waco, TX.

Resources, talk-back forum and more on the re-vamped In the Family website.

In anticipation of In the Family's national broadcast on PBS' P.O.V. Wednesday night, tune in to NPR's Talk of the Nation tomorrow afternoon at 2pm CST. Watch a clip from John Callaway's interview with Joanna on Chicago Tonight and check out the P.O.V. website for the film.

Director Joanna Rudnick will represent In the Family at a screening tonight sponsored by the Health Law Institute of DePaul University College of Law in cooperation with the Neiswanger Institute for Bioethics and Health Policy at the Loyola Stritch School of Medicine and the Clinical Ethics Consult Service at University of Illinois at Chicago. Following the film, a panel discussion on medical and legal ethics will commence.