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When we talk about the grave issue of maternal mortality, it’s rarely in the context of a wealthy nation with ample technological wherewithal like ours. Truth is, this is as much a problem of the so-called first world as it is of other less developed nations.
Filmmaker Carolyn Jones has brought the spotlight to this subject in her documentary film “American Delivery,” which will be showcased at the United Nations Association Film Festival this month, where 60 films will run over 11 days, between Oct. 17-27 across Stanford University, Palo Alto, San Francisco and East Palo Alto.
“Losing women during childbirth — it just makes no sense,” said Jones in an interview with this publication. The film is also about other related topics, like the social determinants of health, gender, race and governance.
“I think we’re living in a very complicated time for women. Watching us lose the power to choose, to have agency over our own bodies, I really wanted to dig in and see how all of this was inter-related, how much of it is due to racism, how much of it is due to our failing healthcare system…” she said. “Birth has been medicalized in our country and as women we’ve gotten farther and farther away from making our own decisions about our bodies. I started to think that I need to make a film that reminds everybody what we’re fighting for.”
Jones’ interest in healthcare is personal. It was her own battle with breast cancer several years ago that sparked an interest in this area in general and in the nursing profession in particular. During that painful time, a nurse who cared for her really stood out for her ability to understand what she was going through. “She had the emotional intelligence of a genius,” Jones said. “She had an uncanny way of knowing how to look at me holistically…”
In the film five women are shown giving birth. They belong to different social strata and races. “Black women are dying at least two times as much as white women,” she said, in the context of maternal mortality. These women belong to different places, including California, Kentucky, Ohio, Brooklyn — and Tanzania. At least 10 other women, including some in Texas and Mississippi, were interviewed for the project but not all stories made it to the final film. Jones was also particular about including healthcare providers from diverse backgrounds. “We tried very hard to get a snapshot of the country.”
The whole project took two years to complete. Finding women who agreed to let a film crew record while they gave birth was easier than Jones had anticipated. What then was the biggest challenge? “Timing,” she said. “Waiting for women to give birth,” she said.
A variety of issues relating to maternal health, such as postpartum depression, working with a midwife and going through with a C-section, are covered in the film. Jones aims for the film to spur change at both the personal and systemic level. Among changes she’d like to see are paid family leave, the option to lean on a midwife in a hospital setting, and easier access to conditional services like the Nurse-Family Partnership Program that enables women on federal aid to have a nurse visit them at home every two weeks from the moment they get pregnant till the child is 2 years old.
“I hope the film is a tool for healthcare workers to extract what they need and use some of these stories to drive their points home,” said Jones, who, though always a feminist, finds herself “much more militant” about the subject of maternal health, coming out of the process of making this film than she was going in. “I’d like for women to feel like they have a voice.”
This year, the theme of the festival is “Shared Humanity.”
“We want to see the dots that connect us — and also see the obstacles,” said Jasmina Bojic, founder and executive director of the UNAFF, who launched this festival 27 years ago in Palo Alto, as a way to celebrate the then-50th anniversary of the signing of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, something she believes is even more important than civil rights. “Everything we will see and discuss goes through the prism of human rights.”
The last 10 years, in her opinion, have been the “golden age” of documentary filmmaking. She attributes this to what she believes is the steady decline of in-depth analysis and elaborate storytelling in mainstream American journalism — the kind Walter Cronkite and Barbara Walters were known for back in the day — thus creating an opportunity for documentaries to fill the gap.
Besides screenings, the program also includes panel discussions and awards. Some of the themes that will be covered are women’s issues, criminal justice, healthcare and the environment, among others.
The team received around 600 films from across the world and used the “old fashioned” jury process to curate the final list. The jury comprised 24 members including journalists, filmmakers, professors and community leaders.
After the festival, the films will be showcased through special screenings at libraries, senior centers and veterans homes in the city over the coming year.
“The value of having this film festival in Palo Alto is huge,” said Bojic, who is also a film critic and Stanford educator, appreciating the support of the city and several diverse communities therein. “But we really need our citizens of Palo Alto to be financially involved.”
UNAFF 2024 will be held at multiple locations across Stanford University, Palo Alto, San Francisco and East Palo Alto, between Oct 17 and 27. “American Delivery” shows in a free screening at Stanford Medical School, 291 Campus Drive, Stanford, on Tuesday, Oct. 22 at 7:30 p.m.
Festival tickets are $17 per film session (each featuring two to three films)/festival passes are $240/seniors’ festival passes are $70.
The festival opens on Oct. 17, 5:30 p.m., with remarks from Palo Alto Mayor Greer Stone, screenings of three films and a reception with food from local restaurants and live music. Opening night takes place at the Mitchell Park Community Center, 3700 Middlefield Road, Palo Alto, and admission is $70.
For a full schedule and more information, visit unaff.org.
