A Healthy Baby Girl

Tuesday, March 2, 2010

The debut work by the co-director of Blue Vinyl and Everything’s Cool tells Helfand’s first person story of fighting cancer caused by drugs administered to her mother during pregnancy.

In 1963 filmmaker Judith Helfand’s mother was prescribed the ineffective, carcinogenic synthetic hormone diethylstilbestrol (DES), meant to prevent miscarriage and ensure a healthy baby. At twenty-five, Judith was diagnosed with DES-related cervical cancer. After a radical hysterectomy she went to her family’s home to heal and picked up her camera. The resulting video-diary is a fascinating exploration of how science, marketing and corporate power can affect our deepest relationships. Shot over five years, A HEALTHY BABY GIRL tells a story of survival, mother-daughter love, family renewal, and community activism. Intimate, humorous, and searing, it is an invaluable resource for anyone interested in the relationship between women’s health, public policy, medical ethics and corporate responsibility.

• Country USA
• Rating NR
• Year 1997
• Running Time 57 minutes
• Director Judith Helfand

IFC Center does not generally provide advisories about subject matter or potentially triggering content in films, as sensitivities vary from person to person. In addition to the synopses, trailers and other links on our website, further information about content and age-appropriateness for specific films can be found on Common Sense Media, IMDb and DoesTheDogDie.com as well as through general internet searches.