GATTACA Turns 20: "What the heck kind of disability film is this?"

The film GATTACA, the dystopian vision of a vastly unequal future, continues to shape discussions of human genetic technologies 20 years after its release. Last night, we brought together an all-star panel to follow a screening of the film and ask: how does GATTACA help us answer the questions we face today, as discrimination against people with disabilities continues at the same time that genetic modification of future generations becomes technically possible? But as our moderator Karen Nakamura opened the discussion, the guiding question was "What the heck kind of disability film is this?!?"

Panel sits at table: Dominika Bednarska, Lawrence Carter-Long, Marcy Darnovsky, Sara Acevedo, and Karen Nakamura Catherine Kudlick at the front making opening remarks. A GATTACA slide up on the screen and an ASL interpreter. Lawrence Carter-Long and Catherine Kudlick bring their heads side by side to smile for the picture.

Thank you to our panelists Dr. Sara Acevedo, Dominika Bednarska, Lawrence Carter-Long, Marcy Darnovsky, and Catherine Kudlick, as well as moderator Karen Nakamura for your fabulous commentary. Thank you as well to our co-organizers who worked hard to make this possible: the Center for Genetics and Society, Access Services at San Francisco Public Main Library, the HAAS Institute for a Fair and Inclusive Society and Superfest International Disability Film Festival. At the end of the discussion, there was so much more to say! So please, share your thoughts, ask more questions, and keep the conversation going by commenting on this post! Missed the panel? Video and podcast coming soon at geneticsandsociety.org!