Brunswick, ME (October 18, 2011) — Birthwise Midwifery School announces a Midwifery and Birth Film Festival “Celebrate Midwives and Birth: A View Across Cultures.”
Birthwise will host a series of films exploring the experiences of women across the world with pregnancy and child birth on Saturday, November 19th at the Frontier Cinema Cafe & Gallery in Brunswick, Maine.
The films will account for a wide spectrum of narratives centered around midwifery and home and out-of-hospital births. Panel discussions with certified professional midwives and individual moms are scheduled for the afternoon. A Q&A will follow each film. Food and refreshments are available to purchase from the Frontier Cafe.
The series kicks off with At Home in Maine in Northeast Harbor, an intimate account of a winter home birth in a beautiful town in downeast Maine. Filmmaker and home birth mom, Nicolle Littrell, will present two films from her series At Home in Maine.
“A number of political and social issues intersect with midwifery when it comes to reproductive rights,” says Tiffany Carter, a spokesperson from the Birthwise Midwifery School. “The medicalization of child birth and its ensuing perinatal health crisis are all important issues to highlight in the discussion. Hopefully this festival can do that in a way that’s also celebratory of women and midwifery.”
Tickets are $7 per screening. For show times and tickets, please call the Frontier at (207) 725-5222.
The programming is as follows:
At Home in Maine in Northeast Harbor — A couple preparing for their second child addresses the fear, personal/cultural expectations, and challenges of letting others help in the healing process of homebirth. The film will begin at 9:15am. For more information, visit: http://mainehomebirth.wordpress.com/.
At Home in Maine Part III — This film is the third in a series of films focusing on political activity in Maine’s homebirth community, in particular, movement around licensing Maine’s Certified Professional Midwives. The film looks at post-enactment activity and views around CH.669, a law passed in 2008 that legalizes Maine’s Certified Professional Midwives (CPMs) to use of a short list of medications at homebirths. Midwives, legislators, medical professionals and homebirth consumers comment on and critique this unprecedented legislation. The film will begin at 10:05am. For more information, please visit: http://mainehomebirth.wordpress.com/.
Home Delivery — This film documents the lives of three women in New York, who for very different reasons have decided to go up against social trends and take the birth of their children into their own hands…and homes. The film will begin at 12:05am. For more information, please visit: http://www.homedelivery-themovie.com/.
The Business of Being Born — Compelled to find answers after a disappointing birth experience with her first child, actress Ricki Lake recruits filmmaker Abby Epstein to explore the maternity care system in America. Focusing on New York City, the film reveals that there is much to distrust behind hospital doors and follows several couples who decide to give birth on their own terms. The film begins at 2:35pm. For more information, please visit: http://www.thebusinessofbeingborn.com/.
No Woman, No Cry — Pregnancy is a death sentence for more than half a million women every year, but their deaths would be preventable if they could obtain the health care they needed. Christy Turlington’s documentary explores the personal stories behind such stunning statistics. The film begins at 4:15pm. For more information, please visit: http://everymothercounts.org/film.
About Birthwise
Birthwise Midwifery School is a three-year direct-entry midwifery education program, which is located in Bridgton, Maine. The school was founded in 1994 and has been accredited by the Midwifery Education Accreditation Council (MEAC.org) since 1999. Graduates become Certified Professional Midwives (CPMs) who practice in home and birth center settings. Our students are eligible to apply for Federal Student Aid (Stafford Loans and Pell Grants). English-speaking foreign students are welcome to apply. More information can be found at http://www.birthwisemidwifery.edu.
About Frontier Cafe Cinema & Gallery
Frontier is a vision inspired by founder Michael Gilroy’s travels as an expedition leader around the world. Gilroy’s passion for connecting people with experiences that provoke a sense of discovery compelled him to create a special kind of meeting place reminiscent of a traveler’s crossroads – where stories, ideas and culture interact in a rich and dynamic environment. Gilroy embarked on building Frontier – a destination where people could gather to enjoy and explore food, film, music and art inspired by the world. (See Donate for additional information about Frontier’s expanding vision.) http://www.explorefrontier.com.
Sponsored by:
Birthwise Midwifery School
http://www.birthwisemidwifery.edu/
Birth Roots
http://www.ourbirthroots.org/
Red Tent Midwifery
http://www.redtentmidwifery.com/
Open Circle Midwifery
http://www.opencirclemidwifery.org/
Northern Sun Family Health Care and Birth Center
http://www.northernsunfamilyhealthcare.com/
For show times and tickets, please contact the Frontier at:
207-725-5222
http://www.explorefrontier.com/
44.087297
-69.798935