The Inheritance is a 2014 documentary feature film about Huntington's disease written by Bridget Lyon and directed by Jeffrey McDonald. [1] Based in New Zealand and telling the story of Lyon's family, it features interviews with prominent researchers and advocates in the Huntington's disease field including Charles Sabine, Michael R. Hayden, Jeff Carroll and Edward Wild. It premiered at the 2014 New Zealand International Film Festival [2] and has attracted media coverage in New Zealand and Australia. [3] [4] [5]
A genetic disorder is a health problem caused by one or more abnormalities in the genome. It can be caused by a mutation in a single gene (monogenic) or multiple genes (polygenic) or by a chromosome abnormality. Although polygenic disorders are the most common, the term is mostly used when discussing disorders with a single genetic cause, either in a gene or chromosome. The mutation responsible can occur spontaneously before embryonic development, or it can be inherited from two parents who are carriers of a faulty gene or from a parent with the disorder. When the genetic disorder is inherited from one or both parents, it is also classified as a hereditary disease. Some disorders are caused by a mutation on the X chromosome and have X-linked inheritance. Very few disorders are inherited on the Y chromosome or mitochondrial DNA.
Huntington's disease (HD), also known as Huntington's chorea, is an incurable neurodegenerative disease that is mostly inherited. The earliest symptoms are often subtle problems with mood or mental/psychiatric abilities. A general lack of coordination and an unsteady gait often follow. It is also a basal ganglia disease causing a hyperkinetic movement disorder known as chorea. As the disease advances, uncoordinated, involuntary body movements of chorea become more apparent. Physical abilities gradually worsen until coordinated movement becomes difficult and the person is unable to talk. Mental abilities generally decline into dementia, depression, apathy, and impulsivity at times. The specific symptoms vary somewhat between people. Symptoms usually begin between 30 and 50 years of age, and can start at any age but are usually seen around the age of 40. The disease may develop earlier in each successive generation. About eight percent of cases start before the age of 20 years, and are known as juvenile HD, which typically present with the slow movement symptoms of Parkinson's disease rather than those of chorea.
Inheritance is the transferring of property and debt upon a death to a beneficiary.
Danny Lyon is an American photographer and filmmaker.
Madman Entertainment Pty. Ltd., also known as Madman Films, is an Australian distribution and rights management company headquartered in East Melbourne, Victoria, specialising in feature films, documentaries and television series across theatrical and home entertainment formats in Australia and New Zealand.
John Zaritsky was a Canadian documentarian/filmmaker. His work has been broadcast in 35 countries and screened at more than 40 film festivals around the world; in 1983, his film Just Another Missing Kid won the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature.
Rosie Alice Huntington-Whiteley is an English model and actress. She is best known for her work for lingerie retailer Victoria's Secret, formerly being one of their brand "Angels", for being the face of Burberry's 2011 brand fragrance Burberry Body, for her work with Marks & Spencer, and, most recently, for her artistic collaboration with denim-focused fashion brand Paige.
Huntington's disease (HD) has been shown in numerous formats, more so as awareness of the condition has increased. Here is a list of references to it in popular culture;
Sir Peter Robert Jackson is a New Zealand film director, screenwriter and producer. He is best known as the director, writer and producer of the Lord of the Rings trilogy (2001–2003) and the Hobbit trilogy (2012–2014), both of which are adapted from the novels of the same name by J. R. R. Tolkien. Other notable films include the critically lauded drama Heavenly Creatures (1994), the horror comedy The Frighteners (1996), the epic monster remake film King Kong (2005), the World War I documentary film They Shall Not Grow Old (2018) and the documentary The Beatles: Get Back (2021). He is the fourth-highest-grossing film director of all-time, his films having made over $6.5 billion worldwide.
Olivia Wilde is an American actress, director and producer. She played Remy "Thirteen" Hadley on the medical-drama television series House (2007–2012), and has appeared in the films Tron: Legacy (2010), Cowboys & Aliens (2011), The Incredible Burt Wonderstone (2013), The Lazarus Effect (2015), and Don't Worry Darling (2022), which she also directed. She made her Broadway debut in 2017 as Julia in 1984.
30 for 30 is the title for a series of documentary films airing on ESPN, its sister networks, and online highlighting interesting people and events in sports history. This includes four "volumes" of 30 episodes each, a 13-episode series under the ESPN Films Presents title in 2011–2012, and a series of 30 for 30 Shorts shown through the ESPN.com website. The series has also expanded to include Soccer Stories, which aired in advance of the 2014 FIFA World Cup, and audio podcasts.
Charles Edward Sabine is a British television journalist who worked for the US Network NBC News for twenty-six years, before becoming a global spokesman for patients and families with degenerative brain diseases. He is active throughout advocacy and charity sectors across four continents and founder of the Hidden No More Foundation. He has 2 children, Roman and Sabrina.
Jeffrey Bryan Carroll is an American scientific researcher in the field of Huntington's disease (HD). As a carrier of the abnormal gene that causes HD, he is also a public advocate for families affected by the disease, and co-founder of the HD research news platform HDBuzz. His life and work were the subject of a 2011 Gemini award-nominated CBC documentary feature. Carroll is an associate professor of neuroscience in the Department of Biology at the University of Washington
Hate Crimes in the Heartland is a 2014 American documentary film directed by Emmy Award-winning filmmaker Rachel V. Lyon. The film examines American race relations through the analysis of two events, both of which took place in Tulsa, Oklahoma: the 1921 Tulsa race riot and the 2012 "Good Friday Murders."
Sasha Alexander Gilbert is a Russian-born New Zealand adoption advocate, writer and media presenter, and is the founder of the organisation I'm Adopted which he established in 2015.
Caleb "Cal" Knight is a fictional character from the BBC medical drama Casualty, played by actor Richard Winsor. He first appeared in the series twenty-eight episode "Brothers at Arms", broadcast on 18 January 2014. Winsor had previously auditioned for a role in Casualty's spin-off show Holby City. Producers were impressed and recalled him to read for the part of Cal. Winsor's casting was announced alongside George Rainsford who was hired to play Cal's brother Ethan Hardy. The pair had to pass a screen test together as producers were looking for a strong sibling chemistry. Cal's role in the show is a Specialist registrar in emergency medicine. He was originally introduced as a locum. The medic is played as a lothario and womaniser type character. He can manipulate those around him with charm to better his career. Writers gave Cal a backstory detailing the difficult relationship with his father and brother. Despite having the same parents Cal and Ethan had different upbringings, which sets up a sibling rivalry. Their relationship has been important in the development of both characters. Executive producer Oliver Kent has called the character consistent because when faced with trauma, Cal gets drunk, sleeps with women and makes a fool of himself.
What the Health is a 2017 American documentary film which critiques the health effects of meat, dairy product and egg consumption, and questions the practices of leading health and pharmaceutical organizations. It also advocates for a plant-based diet. It has been criticised for scientific inaccuracies.
Daniel Sekulich is a Canadian journalist, director and documentary filmmaker who has worked in various places including Vietnam, Russia, Bosnia and the Arctic. He has written book reviews for the Arts section of The Globe and Mail, and authored the books, Terror On The Seas, and Ocean Titans. He is the director of the documentaries Borderline, Aftermath: The Remnants of War and Deadly Inheritance, and has worked on the television series Ice Road Truckers, Cold Water Cowboys and Greatest Tank Battles.
Edward Wild, also known as Ed Wild, is a British neurologist and neuroscientist in the field of Huntington's disease and an advocate for scientific outreach to the public. He co-founded the Huntington's research news platform HDBuzz in 2010. He is a professor of neurology at UCL Institute of Neurology and is an associate director of the UCL Huntington's Disease Centre. He is also a consultant neurologist at the National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery in London.