Browse Titles - 160 results
AIDS in Africa
produced by National Film Board of Canada and Roger Pyke Productions (New York, NY: Filmakers Library, 1991), 2 hours 14 mins
This compelling documentary reports on the AIDS crisis throughout Africa. The disease is especially rampant in Central Africa. Unlike Europe and the United States, where 90% of AIDS victims are homosexuals, drug abusers and hemophiliacs, in Africa the disease cuts across the entire population, affecting men and wo...
Sample
produced by National Film Board of Canada and Roger Pyke Productions (New York, NY: Filmakers Library, 1991), 2 hours 14 mins
Description
This compelling documentary reports on the AIDS crisis throughout Africa. The disease is especially rampant in Central Africa. Unlike Europe and the United States, where 90% of AIDS victims are homosexuals, drug abusers and hemophiliacs, in Africa the disease cuts across the entire population, affecting men and women of reproductive age and their children. The health crisis is striking a continent already wracked by underdevelopment, civil strife...
This compelling documentary reports on the AIDS crisis throughout Africa. The disease is especially rampant in Central Africa. Unlike Europe and the United States, where 90% of AIDS victims are homosexuals, drug abusers and hemophiliacs, in Africa the disease cuts across the entire population, affecting men and women of reproductive age and their children. The health crisis is striking a continent already wracked by underdevelopment, civil strife and corruption. There are therefore huge economic and cultural obstacles to prevention efforts. In its investigation, the film takes viewers to remote and previously off-limits locations in Uganda, Zaire, the Ivory Coast, Burundi, Rwanda, South Africa and several other countries. It is obvious that the crisis in Africa has global ramifications. If the disease is to be checked, it must be by dealing with the poverty, sexual mores and illiteracy that underly its spread. For example, if the most effective means to prevent infection is through the use of condoms, the poor in Africa simply have no access to them. The film gives voice to the Africans themselves who, with courage and dignity, face an uncertain future. College Adult
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Field of Study
Health Policy
Content Type
Documentary
Contributor
National Film Board of Canada, Roger Pyke Productions
Date Published / Released
1991
Publisher
Filmakers Library
Topic / Theme
Health
Copyright Message
Copyright © 1991. Used by permission of Filmakers Library. All rights reserved.
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An Alzheimer's Story
produced by Kenneth Paul Rosenberg and Ruth Neuwald (New York, NY: Filmakers Library, 1987), 1 hour 5 mins
This documentary provides the rare opportunity of following a family with an Alzheimer's victim for two years. When we first meet the Jasper family, it is apparent that Anna has difficulty remembering. Her husband, Jack, is horrified to learn that she has Alzheimer's disease. As she declines, Jack and his daughter...
Sample
produced by Kenneth Paul Rosenberg and Ruth Neuwald (New York, NY: Filmakers Library, 1987), 1 hour 5 mins
Description
This documentary provides the rare opportunity of following a family with an Alzheimer's victim for two years. When we first meet the Jasper family, it is apparent that Anna has difficulty remembering. Her husband, Jack, is horrified to learn that she has Alzheimer's disease. As she declines, Jack and his daughter Zena are faced with the agonizing task of putting Anna into a nursing home. The story is told without narration. Its power and poignan...
This documentary provides the rare opportunity of following a family with an Alzheimer's victim for two years. When we first meet the Jasper family, it is apparent that Anna has difficulty remembering. Her husband, Jack, is horrified to learn that she has Alzheimer's disease. As she declines, Jack and his daughter Zena are faced with the agonizing task of putting Anna into a nursing home. The story is told without narration. Its power and poignancy lie in the succession of images - the beautiful and strong woman she was and the pathetic nursing home resident she became. At the beginning of the filming the daughter says to her mother, "I love you," and Anna answers with a smile and a kiss. By the end, when her daughter says, "I love you," Anna no longer responds. What gives this documentary its special quality is the intimate relationship established between the filmmakers and the family. The Jaspers open their hearts to us, and we share this painful episode of their lives. College Adult
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Field of Study
Health Policy
Content Type
Documentary
Contributor
Kenneth Paul Rosenberg, Ruth Neuwald
Date Published / Released
1987
Publisher
Filmakers Library
Topic / Theme
Family, Health
Copyright Message
Copyright © 1987. Used by permission of Filmakers Library. All rights reserved.
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Amchis: The Forgotten Healers of the Himalayas
produced by Anoko Productions, ARTE and Pois Chiche Films (New York, NY: Filmakers Library, 2001), 1 hour 8 mins
Zanskar is a valley tucked between the steep mountains on the border of the Himalayas, at an altitude of 3,700 meters. In each village in this remote area of the world, there is a traditional Tibetan medicine man named the "Amchi." Since the beginning of time, the Amchi has passed his knowledge down from father to...
Sample
produced by Anoko Productions, ARTE and Pois Chiche Films (New York, NY: Filmakers Library, 2001), 1 hour 8 mins
Description
Zanskar is a valley tucked between the steep mountains on the border of the Himalayas, at an altitude of 3,700 meters. In each village in this remote area of the world, there is a traditional Tibetan medicine man named the "Amchi." Since the beginning of time, the Amchi has passed his knowledge down from father to son, or from teacher to student. With the construction of a new road, however, the valley was left vulnerable to the outside world. Si...
Zanskar is a valley tucked between the steep mountains on the border of the Himalayas, at an altitude of 3,700 meters. In each village in this remote area of the world, there is a traditional Tibetan medicine man named the "Amchi." Since the beginning of time, the Amchi has passed his knowledge down from father to son, or from teacher to student. With the construction of a new road, however, the valley was left vulnerable to the outside world. Since then, the younger generation has rejected the age-old wisdom and practices of the Amchi, embracing more modern, lucrative activities instead. As a result, these forgotten healers of the Himalayas are perhaps the last to practice Tibetan medicine. College Adult
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Field of Study
Health Policy
Content Type
Documentary
Contributor
Anoko Productions, ARTE, Pois Chiche Films
Date Published / Released
2001
Publisher
Filmakers Library
Topic / Theme
Anthropology, Medical treatments and procedures, Health
Copyright Message
Copyright © 2001. Used by permission of Filmakers Library. All rights reserved.
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Andrew & Wendy
written by Josh Aronson, fl. 1996; produced by Josh Aronson, fl. 1996 (New York, NY: Aronson Film Associates, 2014), 29 mins
57-year-old Andrew Schulman, a classical guitarist, had a near catastrophic reaction to a blood transfusion, which resulted in him being put into a medically induced coma. His conditioned worsened in the ICU and his doctors tried every medical solution to heal him, to no avail.Wendy knew Andrew’s deepest connect...
Sample
written by Josh Aronson, fl. 1996; produced by Josh Aronson, fl. 1996 (New York, NY: Aronson Film Associates, 2014), 29 mins
Description
57-year-old Andrew Schulman, a classical guitarist, had a near catastrophic reaction to a blood transfusion, which resulted in him being put into a medically induced coma. His conditioned worsened in the ICU and his doctors tried every medical solution to heal him, to no avail.Wendy knew Andrew’s deepest connection to the universe was with music. As a desperate effort, she put headphones on him and played his favorite sacred music - Bach's 'St...
57-year-old Andrew Schulman, a classical guitarist, had a near catastrophic reaction to a blood transfusion, which resulted in him being put into a medically induced coma. His conditioned worsened in the ICU and his doctors tried every medical solution to heal him, to no avail.Wendy knew Andrew’s deepest connection to the universe was with music. As a desperate effort, she put headphones on him and played his favorite sacred music - Bach's 'St Mathew's Passion' and within hours doctors saw that Andrew’s body functions had stabilized, and he woke up a few days later. Remarkably, both his surgeons agreed that it was the music that awakened him from his coma.The Director of the Surgical ICU, Dr. Marvin McMillen, speaks eloquently in the film of the power of music to help to heal critically ill patients. “An ICU is about the world’s worst healing environment,” he says. Designed for science and medicine, the antiseptic coldness and incessant beeping and humming of monitors and machines provokes anxiety and makes it difficult for patients and visiting family to be relaxed. Music is a normalizing influence that can offset these negative stimuli.The music Wendy played saved Andrew’s life, when modern medicine failed to do so. Although his resuscitation seems miraculous, this film explains the fascinating and complex connection between music and the brain, and how our connection to music can be an indelible link to the outside world. “We know now that music is fundamental to us and is as important as the high tech machines and drugs we use for healing our patients.”
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Field of Study
Counseling & Therapy
Content Type
Documentary
Contributor
Josh Aronson, fl. 1996
Author / Creator
Josh Aronson, fl. 1996
Date Published / Released
2014
Publisher
Aronson Film Associates
Topic / Theme
Music, Neurological studies, Therapeutic process, Therapeutics, Recreational therapy
Copyright Message
Copyright © 2014 by Aronson Film Associates, Inc.
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Bearing Witness: Robert Coley-Donohue
directed by Dan Curtis; produced by Adam Symansky, fl. 1977-2010 and Pierre Lapointe, fl. 1989-2008, National Film Board of Canada (Ottawa, ON: National Film Board of Canada, 2003), 1 hour 31 mins
This feature documentary is a portrait of Robert Coley-Donohue a man living with ALS or Lou Gehrig's disease, a fatal degenerative neuro-muscular disease that strikes two in 100,000 people. The film follows Robert over the last 3 years of his life. His experience is arduous, but also filled with hope and healing....
Sample
directed by Dan Curtis; produced by Adam Symansky, fl. 1977-2010 and Pierre Lapointe, fl. 1989-2008, National Film Board of Canada (Ottawa, ON: National Film Board of Canada, 2003), 1 hour 31 mins
Description
This feature documentary is a portrait of Robert Coley-Donohue a man living with ALS or Lou Gehrig's disease, a fatal degenerative neuro-muscular disease that strikes two in 100,000 people. The film follows Robert over the last 3 years of his life. His experience is arduous, but also filled with hope and healing. If, like Robert, we can face death with grace and the comfort of family and friends, then death will hold less fear.
Field of Study
Health Policy
Content Type
Documentary
Contributor
Adam Symansky, fl. 1977-2010, Pierre Lapointe, fl. 1989-2008, National Film Board of Canada
Author / Creator
Dan Curtis
Date Published / Released
2003
Publisher
National Film Board of Canada
Topic / Theme
Health
Copyright Message
Copyright © 2003 by the National Film Board of Canada
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Beginning with the End
directed by David B. Marshall, fl. 2009-2016; produced by David B. Marshall, fl. 2009-2016 (Blue Sky Project Films, 2014), 59 mins
Emma and Ernie ate lemon meringue pie together. Ernie taught Emma about life. And Emma helped Ernie to die. In 2002, a high school teacher in Rochester, NY, invited nine high school seniors to attend his new class. The name of the class: Hospice. A decade later, the program continues with student volunteers learni...
Sample
directed by David B. Marshall, fl. 2009-2016; produced by David B. Marshall, fl. 2009-2016 (Blue Sky Project Films, 2014), 59 mins
Description
Emma and Ernie ate lemon meringue pie together. Ernie taught Emma about life. And Emma helped Ernie to die. In 2002, a high school teacher in Rochester, NY, invited nine high school seniors to attend his new class. The name of the class: Hospice. A decade later, the program continues with student volunteers learning about and providing comfort care for the dying and their families. The film follows the real-life stories of four student volunteers...
Emma and Ernie ate lemon meringue pie together. Ernie taught Emma about life. And Emma helped Ernie to die. In 2002, a high school teacher in Rochester, NY, invited nine high school seniors to attend his new class. The name of the class: Hospice. A decade later, the program continues with student volunteers learning about and providing comfort care for the dying and their families. The film follows the real-life stories of four student volunteers through their senior year. In the quest to understand “the big sleep,” they find a whole new kind of awakening.
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Field of Study
Counseling & Therapy
Content Type
Documentary
Contributor
David B. Marshall, fl. 2009-2016
Author / Creator
David B. Marshall, fl. 2009-2016
Date Published / Released
2014
Publisher
Blue Sky Project Films
Topic / Theme
Youth, Age & aging, Death, Hospices, Death education
Copyright Message
Copyright © 2014 David Marshall
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Between the Laughter (Educational Version)
directed by Barbara K. Lee, fl. 2006; produced by Selwyn Jacob, fl. 1989, National Film Board of Canada (Montreal, QC: National Film Board of Canada, 2006), 43 mins
Stephen O’Keefe takes to the stage at the comedy club, and soon the audience is pealing with laughter. But he can't hear their reaction to his stand-up routine. He was born deaf. Comedy is an unusual pursuit for someone who is hearing impaired – Stephen must work as hard on his pronunciation as he does on his...
Sample
directed by Barbara K. Lee, fl. 2006; produced by Selwyn Jacob, fl. 1989, National Film Board of Canada (Montreal, QC: National Film Board of Canada, 2006), 43 mins
Description
Stephen O’Keefe takes to the stage at the comedy club, and soon the audience is pealing with laughter. But he can't hear their reaction to his stand-up routine. He was born deaf. Comedy is an unusual pursuit for someone who is hearing impaired – Stephen must work as hard on his pronunciation as he does on his material. 'Of course I talk funny...I’m a comedian!' he jokes. Still, the lawyer-turned-comedian never shies away from a challenge. C...
Stephen O’Keefe takes to the stage at the comedy club, and soon the audience is pealing with laughter. But he can't hear their reaction to his stand-up routine. He was born deaf. Comedy is an unusual pursuit for someone who is hearing impaired – Stephen must work as hard on his pronunciation as he does on his material. 'Of course I talk funny...I’m a comedian!' he jokes. Still, the lawyer-turned-comedian never shies away from a challenge. Capturing footage of Stephen in the comedy spotlight, at home and at work, Between the Laughter interweaves lively snapshots of a complex but extraordinary life.
Since receiving a cochlear implant in his early twenties, Stephen is no longer completely deaf, but it’s a struggle for him to adapt to the new sounds he hears. Through interviews with family, friends, his comedy coach, doctor and former teacher, the film explores Stephen’s fierce determination to succeed. It also reveals some of the unexpected conflicts and pressures of everyday life, whether it’s being unable to hear his wife on a morning jog or trying to follow conversations when more than one person speaks at once. This intimate portrait was shot over a period of nine months. Filmmaker Barbara K. Lee immerses viewers in the heart of the comedian’s demanding life, observing him as he spends time with his young son, runs a business with his wife, prepares to move into a new home, and nurtures his blossoming comedy career. Many deaf people can find life to be isolating, but Stephen embraces the spotlight, choosing to stand out and entertain. This is an inspirational and humour-filled profile – from life in between comedy acts to the realities of being caught between a hearing world and a silent one.
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Field of Study
Counseling & Therapy
Content Type
Documentary
Contributor
Selwyn Jacob, fl. 1989, National Film Board of Canada
Author / Creator
Barbara K. Lee, fl. 2006
Date Published / Released
2006
Publisher
National Film Board of Canada
Speaker / Narrator
Stephen O'Keefe, fl. 2006
Person Discussed
Stephen O'Keefe, fl. 2006
Topic / Theme
Comedy, Deafness, Humanities
Copyright Message
Copyright © 2006 by the National Film Board of Canada
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Beyond the Politics of Life and Choice: A New Conversation About Abortion
directed by Anne Macksoud, fl. 1999-2013 and John Ankele, fl. 1999-2013; produced by Anne Macksoud, fl. 1999-2013 and John Ankele, fl. 1999-2013, Old Dog Documentaries (Berkeley, CA: Berkeley Media, 2007), 1 hour 2 mins
Probably no issue in contemporary America is more divisive and emotionally charged than the debate over abortion rights. And classroom discussions of this polarizing topic can be very difficult, since the moral stakes and the positions of those on both sides of the issue are frequently deeply entrenched. Often mos...
Sample
directed by Anne Macksoud, fl. 1999-2013 and John Ankele, fl. 1999-2013; produced by Anne Macksoud, fl. 1999-2013 and John Ankele, fl. 1999-2013, Old Dog Documentaries (Berkeley, CA: Berkeley Media, 2007), 1 hour 2 mins
Description
Probably no issue in contemporary America is more divisive and emotionally charged than the debate over abortion rights. And classroom discussions of this polarizing topic can be very difficult, since the moral stakes and the positions of those on both sides of the issue are frequently deeply entrenched. Often most of a class will hold one view and those with the minority position will find it hard to speak out.Put simply, Beyond the Politics of...
Probably no issue in contemporary America is more divisive and emotionally charged than the debate over abortion rights. And classroom discussions of this polarizing topic can be very difficult, since the moral stakes and the positions of those on both sides of the issue are frequently deeply entrenched. Often most of a class will hold one view and those with the minority position will find it hard to speak out.Put simply, Beyond the Politics of Life and Choice is the best classroom tool available for moving the debate over abortion away from politicized battle lines and into a compassionate and sensitive space, where people with opposing views can better understand the deep concerns of one another.As Prof. Katherine McLaughlin of Keene State College writes, "What is so helpful about this exceptionally thought-provoking film is that it articulately presents both sides of the abortion debate, giving weight to the arguments of both the majority and the minority in my class, while modeling respectful dialogue and disagreement between those on both sides of the issue. In my class on Women’s Sexual Rights, the film enabled active participation in the discussion from those with very different points of view, and resulted in some students seeing glimmers of truth in the arguments of those opposing their positions and most students getting a deeper grasp of the complexities of the issue."The film weaves together thoughtful and eloquent commentary by activists, legal experts, theologians, seminarians, college students, service providers, and women for whom the decision to terminate or not to terminate a pregnancy has been a formative event in their lives. All bring admirable nuance and insight to a subject often avoided and fraught with prejudice, stereotypes, tension, and fear.Scenes filmed at protest demonstrations, prenatal care centers, abortion clinics, college campuses, and in Third-World countries provide additional context to the commentary.The film explores a wide array of overlapping issues and questions at the heart of the abortion debate:When does new life begin and when does a fetus become a person? Does the potential for personhood make a fetus a person immediately? What does openness to creation really mean in practice?Should reverence for life include reverence for the complexity of life? Is "innocent life" not threatened by poverty, domestic abuse, social violence, and war as well as by abortion? Do our theories of right and wrong address reality?Is sex for procreation only? What about intimacy and commitment? What about sex education?Will criminalizing abortion make it go away? Does abortion liberate women, or does it burden them with grief and shame? What are the rights and responsibilities of men with regard to unintended pregnancies?The film concludes with a poignant conversation between Angie and Barbara, two longtime friends whose simultaneous pregnancies highlighted their opposing views on abortion.The DVD also contains Special Features that delve deeper into related issues that could not be covered adequately in the film itself, including such topics as adoption, religion and abortion, reproductive justice and women of color, the possibility of finding common ground, and a conversation with Dan and Sidney Callahan, a loving married couple whose opposing views on abortion demonstrate the disparity and complexity of opinion on this subject. Such conversations remind us of our capacity to love and respect those who disagree with us.Beyond the Politics of Life and Choice will inspire compassionate listening and open-hearted discussion in a variety of courses in women's and gender studies, psychology, sociology, ethics, political science, public health, social justice, communication, conflict resolution, and contemporary social problems. The film was produced by John Ankele and Anne Macksoud for Old Dog Documentaries.
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Field of Study
Health Policy
Content Type
Documentary
Contributor
Anne Macksoud, fl. 1999-2013, John Ankele, fl. 1999-2013, Old Dog Documentaries
Author / Creator
Anne Macksoud, fl. 1999-2013, John Ankele, fl. 1999-2013
Date Published / Released
2007
Publisher
Berkeley Media
Topic / Theme
Morality, Pro-choice advocacy, Abortions
Copyright Message
Copyright © 2007 Berkeley Media
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Bird Flu Wars
directed by David Carr-Brown (New York, NY: Filmakers Library, 2007), 1 hour 5 mins
The international scientific community has been monitoring the bird flu virus (known as H5 N1) since 1997 when seven people died in Hong Kong. The victims all had had contact with live bird markets there. Dr. Guan Yi, a professor at the University of Hong Kong, explains the path of infection in Southeast Asia (Vie...
Sample
directed by David Carr-Brown (New York, NY: Filmakers Library, 2007), 1 hour 5 mins
Description
The international scientific community has been monitoring the bird flu virus (known as H5 N1) since 1997 when seven people died in Hong Kong. The victims all had had contact with live bird markets there. Dr. Guan Yi, a professor at the University of Hong Kong, explains the path of infection in Southeast Asia (Vietnam was the "epicenter") in 2003 and 2005 when wild birds infected poultry on small farms. The poultry was then handled by humans who...
The international scientific community has been monitoring the bird flu virus (known as H5 N1) since 1997 when seven people died in Hong Kong. The victims all had had contact with live bird markets there. Dr. Guan Yi, a professor at the University of Hong Kong, explains the path of infection in Southeast Asia (Vietnam was the "epicenter") in 2003 and 2005 when wild birds infected poultry on small farms. The poultry was then handled by humans who became infected.Bird Flu Wars recounts the diverse plans explored at the emergency meetings held in 2006 at the WHO (World Health Organization) headquarters in Geneva to prevent the virus from becoming a pandemic. Some of these plans call for the massive destruction of areas infected by the virus, preventive vaccinations of poultry and the industrialization of breeding. Many countries are stockpiling Tamiflu, the only recommended anti-viral medication. Unfortunately, some countries like Vietnam cannot cope economically with what is required to suppress H5 N1. For now, the Swiss pharmaceutical company La Roche is producing Tamiflu vaccine in huge quantities in their thirteen closely guarded factories. To date, they refuse to release the formula so that the vaccine can be produced generically.If in the future the virus mutates to a human flu; it then could be easily transmitted from human to human, endangering a huge population. At that point, the world would have to wait for a vaccine that could be put into production quickly. Would there be enough anti-viral medicine for everyone in need?
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Field of Study
Health Policy
Content Type
Documentary
Author / Creator
David Carr-Brown
Date Published / Released
2007
Publisher
Filmakers Library
Topic / Theme
General medical conditions, Public health, Health
Copyright Message
Copyright © 2007. Used by permission of Filmakers Library
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Birth Story: Ina May Gaskin & the Farm Midwives
directed by Mary Wigmore, fl. 1998 and Sara Lamm, fl. 2006; produced by Zachary Mortensen and Kate Amend, fl. 1984, Ghost Robot (New York, NY: Filmakers Library, 2012), 1 hour 35 mins
The feature-length documentary BIRTH STORY: Ina May Gaskin and The Farm Midwives tells the story of counterculture heroine Ina May Gaskin and her spirited friends, who began delivering each other’s babies in 1970, on a caravan of hippie school buses, headed to a patch of rural Tennessee land. With Ina May as the...
Sample
directed by Mary Wigmore, fl. 1998 and Sara Lamm, fl. 2006; produced by Zachary Mortensen and Kate Amend, fl. 1984, Ghost Robot (New York, NY: Filmakers Library, 2012), 1 hour 35 mins
Description
The feature-length documentary BIRTH STORY: Ina May Gaskin and The Farm Midwives tells the story of counterculture heroine Ina May Gaskin and her spirited friends, who began delivering each other’s babies in 1970, on a caravan of hippie school buses, headed to a patch of rural Tennessee land. With Ina May as their leader, the women taught themselves midwifery from the ground up, and, with their families, founded an entirely communal, agricultur...
The feature-length documentary BIRTH STORY: Ina May Gaskin and The Farm Midwives tells the story of counterculture heroine Ina May Gaskin and her spirited friends, who began delivering each other’s babies in 1970, on a caravan of hippie school buses, headed to a patch of rural Tennessee land. With Ina May as their leader, the women taught themselves midwifery from the ground up, and, with their families, founded an entirely communal, agricultural society called The Farm. They grew their own food, built their own houses, published their own books, and, as word of their social experiment spread, created a model of care for women and babies that changed a generation’s approach to childbirth.Forty years ago Ina May led the charge away from isolated hospital birthing rooms, where husbands were not allowed and mandatory forceps deliveries were the norm. Today, as nearly one third of all US babies are born via C-section, she fights to preserve her community’s hard-won knowledge. With incredible access to the midwives’ archival video collection, the film not only captures the unique sisterhood at The Farm Clinic–from its heyday into the present–but shows childbirth the way most people have never seen it–unadorned, unabashed, and awe-inspiring.
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Field of Study
Health Policy
Content Type
Documentary
Contributor
Zachary Mortensen, Kate Amend, fl. 1984, Ghost Robot
Author / Creator
Mary Wigmore, fl. 1998, Sara Lamm, fl. 2006
Date Published / Released
2012
Publisher
Filmakers Library
Person Discussed
Ina May Gaskin, 1940-
Topic / Theme
Women's health issues, Women, Midwives, Childbirth, Health
Copyright Message
Copyright © 2012 by On & Beyond, LLC
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