Additional Case Studies:
Rachel’s Daughters
Searching for the Causes of Breast Cancer
Portrait of a woman featured in
the film Rachel's Daughters
The documentary Rachel’s Daughters might be described as a post-modern detective story: the victims go in search of the villains—the causes of breast cancer—and don’t find them. On the way, they expose questions that need to be answered. They particularly explored the link between environment and cancer.
Filmmakers Allie Light and Irving Saraf began the project when they discovered that their 39-year-old daughter had breast cancer. They organized a group of breast cancer survivors as an investigative research team.
“This was an opportunity to shift public attention from detection and treatment to the known and suspected causes of breast cancer,” says Nancy Evans, a medical writer and breast cancer activist who was the film’s co-producer. Evans is also a board member of the Breast Cancer Fund, a partner in this project.
The film was shown six times in October 1997 on HBO, attracting some 2.4 million viewers.To promote organizing, the filmmakers produced a 32-page community action and resource guide, including contacts for 21 action groups and a reading guide.
“This was a very hard film to make, because of the endless loss,” says Nancy Evans, “but when you see the power it has to wake people up and get them involved, you know it was worth it.”
Closing scene from Rachel's Daughters