Human Genetics - Documentaries

After the Apocalypse
Director: Anthony Butts
Country of origin and year: UK, 2010
During the Soviet era, the people of Semipalatinsk in Kazakhstan were used as human experimental subjects in the testing of nuclear weapons. Today they live with the consequences: sheep graze in radioactive giant bomb craters and in the most affected villages 1 in 20 children are born with birth defects. Dr Toleukhan Nurmagambetov, the director of the city's maternity clinic, wants a genetic passport which will prevent those with suspect genes from giving birth. Bibigul - a local woman from the test-site - is pregnant and her "defected and frightful" face arouses the suspicion of local medical staff. Nurmagambetov labels her a genetic failure. He implores Bibigul to get tested and abort the child who he fears will be born disabled. Will Bibigul give in? If not, will her child be disabled?
Internet Movie Database webpage: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1825646/

Sex and the Single Gene?
BBC2 (UK)—Friday 27 April 2001, 18:30 hrs
A film documentary which looks at the science behind a controversial piece of genetic research - the so-called "gay gene". A geneticist explains how this kind of study is carried out - from the initial interviews with gay men and their families, to the plotting of family trees, the extraction of DNA and the analysis of samples in the lab. The film considers the findings of this research - that homosexuality is, in part, genetically determined - and discusses whether these findings will advance the cause of gay rights, and promote tolerance and understanding in society at large.

If... We Could Stop The Violence
BBC Two (UK)—Wednesday, 22 December, 2004, 21:00 hrs, 60 min
Since Tony Blair's famous boast: "tough on crime, tough on the causes of crime", politicians continue to court the electorate with crime prevention promises.  While the connection between crime and poverty is well known, links between violence and genetic make-up are still being explored.  Could - and should - people's physiological predisposition to violent behaviour ever be managed by the state? The IF series of drama-documentaries continues with an exploration of how far scientists can prove a genetic cause for violence. And it questions the extent to which society should intrude on any individual's liberty, even when it is for the supposed good of society.

DNA: The Human Race
Channel 4 (UK), 2003, 50 min
DNA is a series celebrating the 50th anniversary of the discovery of the Double helix. This is an oral history of a molecule, told by the pioneers who made the key discoveries. It charts some extraordinary developments from the discovery, through the early days of genetic engineering to the human genome project. It concludes with a film about the future, featuring one of the initial discoverers, James Watson. 

Killer in Me
ITV Documentary (UK)—Thursday 8 November 2007, 21:00hrs, 60 min
This film followed four celebrities who were offered genetic screening tests to discover their risks of serious illnesses such as cancer, heart disease and Alzheimer’s. A person’s genes and lifestyle are both crucial when it comes to disease but up until recently the genes were shrouded in mystery. A new test now enables the individual to discover their genetic risk of disease and to do something about it.  For the celebrities this is an opportunity to look into the future, opening a window not just on their lives but potentially their deaths. But just how much knowledge can they handle?

Race: Science's Last Taboo
Channel 4 (UK) 2009
This film from Channel 4 looks at the devastating history and consequences of scientific racism. Videos on the Channel 4 website explain why some feel the argument around race has become shallow, and why others believe a fear of investigating genetic difference could limit medical progression. There is also discussion of why it was so important to investigate Science's Last Taboo.
http://raceandscience.channel4.com/index.htm

'Bloodlines: a Family Legacy'
BBC2 (UK) 18 May 2001,  1am
An early morning look at what difference the human genome project has made to the fight against disease.

Relative Risk: The Human Genome Project
BBC2 (UK)—12 July 1993, 00:30 hrs
A look at the Human Genome Project, described by the schedulers as offering 'hope to those suffering from fatal genetic diseases but also opens the way for new forms of discrimination'.

How to Build a Human
BBC2 (UK)—13 January, 2001, 21:00 hrs; 20 January, 2001, 21:00 hrs; 27 January, 2001, 21:00 hrs
Discover how genes and hormones shape the life of a person from cradle to grave.

Bitter Inheritance
BBC2 (UK)—24 January, 2002, 21:50 hrs, 40 min
The third of a five-part series documenting the dilemmas faced by families with genetic diseases. This week, an inherited disorder prevents a woman from carrying a baby to term.

BBC2 (UK)—31 January, 2002, 21:50 hrs 40 min
A 50-year-old man undergoes a pioneering treatment for Gorlin syndrome, a genetic condition which has caused his face to be eaten away by cancer and is now threatening his sight.

After the Genome
BBC2 (UK)—Sunday 26 November 2006, 05:00 hrs, 60 min
A program discussing the publishing of the human genome that asks whether the knowledge can bring science closer to curing cancer and understanding what makes us human.

Sickle Cell - A Lethal Advantage
 BBC2 (UK)—17 January 1998, 06:00 hrs, 30 min
A film documentary looking at why a potentially lethal inherited condition became so common among people of African origin.

Motherland: A Genetic Journey
BBC 2 (UK)—14 February 2003, 21:00 hrs, 90 min
This TV documentary used genetics to uncover the origins of British Afro-Caribbeans.

Extraordinary Me: Josie – My Cancer Curse
Josie Bellerby, a confident and articulate 18-year-old drama student, faces the harrowing decision whether to test her genes for an elevated risk of breast cancer. Josie's mother Julia was a pioneer in undergoing genetic testing. Julia's mother, grandmother and great grandmother all died from breast cancer, Julia was among the first to be tested and have a double mastectomy. Her journey 14 years ago was captured in a documentary called 'Deadly Inheritance'.

Visions of the Future (Series) The Bioetech Revolution
Mon 16 Aug 2010 19:30 BBC FOUR
Episode 2 of 3
Leading theoretical physicist and futurist Michio Kaku looks at the revolution in genetics and biotechnology, which promises unprecedented health and longevity but also raises the spectre of a Frankenstein future of genetically engineered people. Will we, as transhumanists expect, evolve into a new species? Dr Kaku warns that we may end up in a world divided by genetic apartheid.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b0088yjf

The Lion's Mouth Opens
A stunningly courageous young actor, Marianna Palka, confronts her risk of Huntington's Disease. A short (15-minute) documentary.

Do You Really Want To Know?
The film follows three families who have been confronted with the decision of whether or not to be tested for Huntington’s Disease (HD) – a degenerative neurological illness that is akin to having ALS, Schizophrenia and Alzheimer’s all at the same time. Through three emotional, inspiring and surprising stories, viewers will learn how different people have responded to their results – either hearing the worst news imaginable, or the best news of their life.
http://www.doyoureallywanttoknowfilm.com/the-film/