At My Mother's Breast
By Heather Watson-Burgess
National Film Board of Canada

The filmmaker's mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother all had breast cancer, so have two of her three aunts, and she has lived for most of her life with the knowledge that she might be next. Instead of reacting with denial, she decided to explore her feelings of grief and fear with the other women of her family. The result is an extraordinary portrait of a family of brave, strong women finding unity while facing a terrifying and tragic genetic legacy.

It is also, though, a touching and universal portrayal of the ups and downs of mother-daughter relationships. Through video diaries, intimate interviews, and up-close documentary footage of family get-togethers, the film weaves together a complex, poignant story of a family sharing tender moments of laughter, tears, compassion, and loss. Never allowing themselves to be cast as victims, these women, across four generations, have created a sisterhood of survival.

56 minutes
© 2005
Purchase $229 VHS / Purchase $249 DVD
Order No. QA-435
ISBN (VHS) 1-57295-435-3
ISBN (DVD) 1-57295-819-7

Reviews
"A powerful and revealing portrait of mothers and daughters, and the devastating generational legacy of breast cancer. Recommended." Video Librarian

Awards & Conference Screenings
Women's Film Festival, Vermont
Athens International Film & Video Festival

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