Thanks to The Guardian, With Woman is live for public viewing
during the month of October!
Click play below
Thanks to The Guardian, With Woman is live for public viewing
during the month of October!
Click play below
Near the end of the film Raven’s birth progresses into a medical emergency with the complication of shoulder dystocia, a condition that happens when one or both of the baby’s shoulders get stuck during vaginal delivery. Once this becomes clear, Star’s training enables her to affectively assist baby safely from thCe birth canal and into mother’s arms.
We hold the deepest gratitude to Raven for her willingness to share her intimacy with the world and Mia Harvey with her team for this beautiful documentary.
“Study after study has also found that the US medical system’s approach to pregnancy and childbirth is riddled with racial biases and inequalities. Black, Indigenous and Hispanic women are far more likely than white women to report that their childbirth providers mistreated them, such as by scolding or threatening them, having people they didn’t consent to in the birth room, or even physically abusing them… Ali has a goal: a midwife in every neighborhood. She loves to see how empowered families can feel after a home birth; it’s the most fulfilling part of her job. ‘They were able to have this birth that they envisioned and they knew they could have, because they’re equipped,’ Ali said [of the documentary]. ‘They just needed to be reminded and be in a space that facilitated and supported it.'”
Shortlisted
Nominated
Mia is a British emerging documentary filmmaker of British and Barbadian heritage. She is currently studying Directing Documentary MA at the National Film and Television School where she was awarded a BBC Scholarship which is funded and supported by BBC Studios. She has worked in the TV Industry for over five years as an assistant producer, working on BAFTA nominated productions such as Black Power: A British Story of Resistance (BBC ONE) which was executive produced by Steve McQueen and James Rogan.
Her other credits include The Truth About Police Stop and Search (Channel 4) and the longitudinal observational documentary series This is Our Family (SKY). She is currently working on a single for Channel 4 and she was selected for Sheffield Doc Fest UK Broadcast Production Talent Market 2021.
Film
In Illinois Black women are 8 times more likely to die in childbirth than white women. With Woman follows Sister Star, a Black student midwife helping women of color give birth at home in Illinois. The film sensitively follows her on prenatal visits, the birth and then ending with postpartum care of mother and baby. We learn what motivates her and the barriers that herself and other Black women in the US have to overcome to give birth safely. Taking note from the long tradition of Black midwifery, we see the relationship and connection she builds with her clients and community and how she supports them both medically and emotionally in the most important and vulnerable days of their life. The film is 20 minutes long and filmed in Black and white in observational, fly-on-the wall style.
Mia's Aims and Intentions
"I’m aiming to reflect the resurgence of midwifery in the United States and show a US and UK audience how healing and beautiful the midwifery model of giving birth is. I would love to capture the important connection between mother and midwife, female empowerment is very much at the center of this film," notes Mia.
The film was made as part of her course and was viewed by students, staff, and industry professionals from the BBC, Netflix at the graduation showcase held at a major cinema in London in Jan 2023. NFTS also submits film to major film festivals and are usually very successful.
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Visit our “About Midwifery” page to learn history of Midwifery and what it looks like today.
