PICTURE PERFECT
WILD MISTAKES (AND A FEW SCARY TRUTHS) SCIENCE FICTION MAKES IN TACKLING THE SUBJECT OF GENETICS
SCREENING + CONVERSATION
GATTACA
Filmed in Marin County, much of it at the Marin County Civic Center, ‘Gattaca’ takes place in a perfection-obsessed future society in which genetic discrimination is the law of the land and children are conceived only through genetic selection, to make sure that only the best hereditary traits are maintained. Ethan Hawke plays a man dreaming of becoming an astronaut, who must hide the truth that he was conceived outside the government sanctioned eugenics program. Also in the film are Uma Thurman, Jude Law, Ernest Borgnine, Gore Vidal and Alan Arkin.
Director: Andrew Niccol (1997) 106 min.
SPECIAL GUEST:
KATIE HASSON, PhD. is the Associate Director of the Center for Genetics and Society, an independent, public interest nonprofit based in Oakland, California. She writes, speaks, and conducts research on the social implications of human biotechnologies, working with CGS’ broad network of scholars and advocates committed to bringing human rights and social justice perspectives to the forefront of discussions about human genetic and reproductive technologies.
Katie earned her PhD in Sociology from the University of California, Berkeley, and was previously Assistant Professor of Sociology and Gender Studies at the University of Southern California. She has written articles for publications including The CRISPR Journal, Trends in Biotechnology, Perspectives in Biology and Medicine, and The Guardian, and been cited in various media, including The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, Le Monde, Science News, and Wired.
This presentation is part of SCIENCE ON SCREEN®, a series pairing film screenings with lively scientific discussions – an initiative of the Coolidge Corner Theatre with major support from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation.