In the Family

About the Project

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?

In The Family and its companion materials are targeting three audiences through specific platforms: targeted video modules for Hispanic communities, a screening and discussion program on College campuses and an accredited professional development program for Healthcare Providers. Their collaboration with the Intercultural Cancer Council (ICC) & the Center for Genetic Medicine (CGM) at Northwestern University have strongly affirmed the need to bring In The Family to the Hispanic community. Working with these partners they have created a short video module expanding Olga's story to include discussions about high breast cancer rates and explore cultural taboos, risks and fears surrounding genetic testing and potential discrimination specific to the Latina high-risk community. They have also created a supplementary text resources and educational guides.

The Fledgling Fund Impact

The Fledgling Fund is pleased to support outreach and audience engagement for In The Family.  We believe this compelling story has the potential to sensitize and educate the public, partners and family members, healthcare providers, and policymakers to the psychological consequences resulting from predictive genetic testing for BRCA mutations, while raising timely science policy questions about access to information, direct to consumer marketing, gene patenting, and potential discrimination by insurance companies and employers.