The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks — Full-Length Trailer

source:   hbo.com, youtube.com

added: Wed, Mar 15th '17

HBO has released the full-length trailer for the upcoming cable movie "The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks," starring Oscar-winner Oprah Winfrey and "Neighbors" actress Rose Byrne.

The film, based on the best-selling nonfiction book by science writer Rebecca Skloot, tells the true story of Deborah Lacks (Winfrey), who -- with the help of Skloot (Byrne) -- uncovered the incredible history of her mother, Henrietta Lacks, who died of cervical cancer in 1951 when Deborah was a small child, but without her or her family's consent or knowledge had her cells donated to medical research, which eventually became the first "immortal" human cells. These cells, well-known in the medical science world as "HeLa" (short for Henrietta Lacks), played an integral role in developing the polio vaccine as well as a number of groundbreaking medical remedies, including a treatment for HIV/AIDS and cancer.

Directed by Tony-winning and Emmy-nominated director George C. Wolfe (Nights in Rodanthe) and executive produced by Winfrey and Alan Ball, the HBO film co-stars Emmy-winner Courtney B. Vance (The People v. O. J. Simpson), Emmy-winner Reg E. Cathey (House of Cards), and Tony-winner Renee Elise Goldsberry (Hamilton) as Henrietta Lacks in flashback sequences.

"The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks" is due to premiere on Saturday, April 22nd on HBO.

synopsis:
Oprah Winfrey and Rose Byrne star in this adaptation of Rebecca Skloot's critically acclaimed, bestselling nonfiction book of the same name. Told through the eyes of Henrietta Lacks' daughter, Deborah Lacks, the film chronicles her search, along with journalist Rebecca Skloot (Byrne), to learn about the mother she never knew and understand how the unauthorized harvesting of Lacks' cancerous cells in 1951 led to unprecedented medical breakthroughs, changing countless lives and the face of medicine forever.

 

directed by   George C. Wolfe

starring   Oprah Winfrey, Rose Byrne, Renee Elise Goldsberry, Reg E. Cathey, Courtney B. Vance

release date   April 22, 2017 (on HBO)

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