The immortal life of Henrietta Lacks.

Date:
2017
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About this work

Description

Based on the book written by Rebecca Skloot of the same name, this is the true story of how the cells of an African-American woman, Henrietta Lacks, who died of cervical cancer were harvested and became the bedrock for commercial biomedical and pharmaceutical research under the reference 'HeLa'. The family were kept almost entirely in the dark. The film reflects the injustices covered in the book as revealed by Skloot and only diverges slightly in some of Lack's biographical details (the progeniture of Deborah's elder sibling Elsie is not mentioned although Elsie's medical treatment is disclosed - this is explicitly not in the book). Ophrah Winfrey gives a convincing performance as Deborah, Henrietta's daughter who needs answers.

Publication/Creation

2017.

Physical description

1 DVD (93 mins.) : sound, colour ; 12 cm

Notes

Originally broadcast on 8th June 2017 on Sky Atlantic.

Creator/production credits

Produced by Kathryn Dean. Music by Brandford Marsalis, Cinematography by Sofian El Fani, Directed by George C. Wolfe.
Renée Elise Goldsberry (Henrietta Lacks), Rose Byrne (Rebecca Skloot) and Oprah Winfrey (Deborah Lacks).

Copyright note

Cine Mosaic, Harpo Films, Your Face Goes Here Entertainment.

Type/Technique

Languages

Where to find it

  • LocationStatusAccess
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    7830D

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