The Business of Being Born
There are many reasons why I am proud of my local chapter of the International Cesarean Awareness Network (ICAN). Not least of these is our upcoming screening of The Business of Being Born, a film directed by Abby Epstein and executive produced by Ricki Lake (yes, I know...). Here is our press release:
PRESS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Heather Deatrick
612/232-3257
bobbtwincities@gmail.com
Local birth organization to hold sneak preview of acclaimed documentary by Abbey Epstein and executive producer Rickie Lake
“THE BUSINESS OF BEING BORN”
Thursday January 24, 2008 7 PM
Oak Street Cinema, Minneapolis, MN
Tickets on sale December 15, 2007 at http://bobbtwincities.eventbrite.com
December 1, 2007, Minneapolis, MN – The International Cesarean Awareness Network (ICAN) of the Twin Cities is proud to announce a sneak peek of this compelling and important documentary. “The Business of Being Born” premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival last May to rave reviews. The file will be released in only NYC, LA and SF in January, 2008. This will be the only public showing in the Minneapolis/St. Paul area. It will be a fundraiser for ICAN to raise awareness of the crisis of labor and delivery in hospitals in the United States. Currently, and seemingly in spite of technological advances, the US has the second-worst infant mortality rate in the industrialized world and the maternal death rate is rising for the first time in decades. Following the screening, there will be a panel of local health professionals to discuss and answer questions.
Synopsis
Birth: it’s a miracle. A rite of passage. A natural part of life. But more than anything, birth is a business. Compelled to find answers after a disappointing birth experience with her first child, actress Ricki Lake recruits filmmaker Abby Epstein to examine and question the way American women have babies. The film interlaces intimate birth stories with surprising historical, political and scientific insights and shocking statistics about the current maternity care system. When director Epstein discovers she is pregnant during the making of the film, the journey becomes even more personal. Should most births be viewed as a natural life process, or should every delivery be treated as a potentially catastrophic medical emergency?
Reviews
“Highly informative expose ‘The Business of Being Born’ makes a strong case for natural childbirth and an even stronger case for having a baby anywhere besides a U.S. hospital.” Variety, Ronnie Scheib
"’The Business of Being Born’ includes very little of the screaming, gnashing, clenching horror that is the hallmark of most TLC-style obstetri-drama or, for that matter, of the kind of hirsute birthing filmstrip some progressively educated middle schoolers are shown in sex ed. Instead, Lake and Epstein have made a movie about the pleasures and political importance of natural, midwife-assisted home birth.” Rebecca Traister, Salon.com
“The film's message is clear and unflinching: modern medical practices have so distorted the process of birth that we have lost the natural beauty of this rite of passage." Wendy Ponte, Mothering.com
Tickets here
View the trailer here
Find screenings in your area here (hint: Iowa City friends, you've got two opportunities in late January!)