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They Had Thirteen Children...

2009 26 min
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In this short documentary, filmmaker Anika Lirette retraces the unusual life of her Acadian grandparents, who had 13 children. Of the 13, eight had intellectual and physical disabilities - all caused by phenylketonuria, a genetic disorder now known to be easily managed through diet. Through first-person accounts and archival photography, the film traces the history of her family as it struggled with the consequences of the disorder, at a time when the Catholic Church condemned birth control and medical services were virtually non-existent. In French with English subtitles.

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They Had Thirteen Children...

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In this short documentary, filmmaker Anika Lirette retraces the unusual life of her Acadian grandparents, who had 13 children. Of the 13, eight had intellectual and physical disabilities - all caused by phenylketonuria, a genetic disorder now known to be easily managed through diet. Through first-person accounts and archival photography, the film traces the history of her family as it struggled with the consequences of the disorder, at a time when the Catholic Church condemned birth control and medical services were virtually non-existent. In French with English subtitles.

  • participation
    Lucille Cormier
    Murielle Lirette
    Roger Lirette
    Yvon Lirette
    Albertine Beers
    Marie Breau
    Léontine Lirette
    Rita Lirette
    Céleste Lirette
    Arsène Lirette
    Florence Lirette
  • director
    Anika Lirette
  • researcher
    Anika Lirette
  • writer
    Anika Lirette
  • narrator
    Anika Lirette
  • picture editing
    Marie Hamelin
  • camera
    François Vincelette
  • camera assistant
    Olivier Cheneval
  • location sound
    Stéphane Barsalou
  • production assistant
    Denise Leblanc
  • sound design
    Daniel Toussaint
  • re-recording
    Daniel Toussaint
    Luc Léger
  • original music
    Jean-François Mallet
  • musician
    Marie-Andrée Gaudet
    Emmanuelle Bouffard
  • script consultant
    Carole Laganière
  • pre-shoot consultant
    Monique LeBlanc
  • narration translation
    Jo-Anne Elder
  • narration recording
    Luc Raymond
  • narration recording consultant
    Hubert Fielden
  • narration recording supervisor
    Hubert Fielden
  • subtitles
    Paula McKeown
  • online editing
    Yannick Carrier
  • titles
    Gaspard Gaudreau
  • credits
    Gaspard Gaudreau
  • digital editing technician
    Martine Forget
    Pierre Dupont
    Amélie Bolduc
  • foley
    Lise Wedlock
  • foley recording
    Luc Léger
  • still photographer
    Francine Dion
  • marketing manager
    Julie Arseneault
  • marketing manager - assistance
    Karine Sévigny
  • administrator
    Geneviève Duguay
  • administrative assistant
    Colette Allain
  • technical coordinator
    Jean-François Laprise
  • producer
    Murielle Rioux-Poirier
    Maryse Chapdelaine
  • executive producer
    Jacques Turgeon

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Education

Ages 14 to 16
School subjects
A great film to teach students about difference and get them thinking about how they act around people with disabilities. Start a discussion and invite kids to voice their views. Have they ever met someone who didn’t fit society’s norms? How did they react? Did they make fun of the person? What disturbs us about people outside the norm? What are we afraid of?