Family Secrets is a television documentary

Television documentary

Documentary television is a genre of television programming that broadcasts documentaries.* Documentary television series, a television series which is made up of documentary episodes....

 series which premiered in February 2003, created and produced by Maureen Judge

Maureen Judge

Maureen Judge is a critically acclaimed Canadian filmmaker and television producer. Most of her work is documentary and explores themes of love, betrayal and acceptance in the context of the modern family.-Biography:...

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The 30 minute episodes featured raw, compelling and honest accounts of the impact of secrets on families and their lives

Family secret

A family secret is a secret kept within a family. Most families have secrets, but the kind and importance vary. Family secrets can be shared by the whole family, but some family members or kept by an individual member of the family. The secret can relate to taboo topics,rule violations or just...

. The show used a mix of fly-on-the-wall style observational scenes, informal interviews, home movies

Home movies

A home movie is part of the motion picture filmmaking process made by amateurs, often for viewing by family and friends. When the hobby began, home movies were produced on photographic film, but accessibility of video production with video cameras and low cost data storage devices has made the...

, and other material. Each episode featues a different family, taking viewers on an intensely personal, humorously nervous and emotionally moving journey into the private world of family relationships.