Birth: A New Story
Plus a conversation on birth and fatherhood with Jacob Fortune Lloyd.
I want to put on your radar this beautiful project that explores the new (and ancient) story of Birth.
The director Samara Concepción is a holistic birth doula turned documentary filmmaker who was lit by the passion to explore the intelligence of birth and the wisdom of mothers when reclaimed from the medical/industrial model that has become so common in modern societies today.
My teacher Stephen Jenkinson has said there are numerous “prisms” by which a culture reveals itself - one of them is death. Another, certainly is birth.
Two years ago, I supported Samara in stewarding a successful crowdfunding campaign to raise initial funds for Birth: A New Story. As often occurs, the production of a film becomes a pilgrimage and ongoing act of devotion and surrender.
Timelines and ideas shift, until the true film finally emerges.
Samara is now crowdfunding for the post-production funds to complete the project.
The film follows Imogen Love, a London-based birth doula, mother and artist, through her second pregnancy and home birth experience. The audience is invited into her innermost reflections, memories, challenges and reasons for choosing to give birth outside the dominant model.
Filmed over a period of 9 months, the story is told through Imogen’s personal perspective and weaves together intimate and emotionally raw footage of her home water birth with self-documented footage of her pregnancy, personal reflections, and poetically staged scenes.
Both poetic and meditative, this film transmits the essence of what it means to reclaim birth as a deeply personal, natural, empowering and sacred event - unique for every woman, baby and family.
Watch the full pitch and please consider contributing to the Kickstarter. The Campaign ends April 19.
As an aside, Samara is also the reason that Jacob-Fortune Lloyd, the rising actor, was connected to my film The Village of Lovers and ultimately became the narrator.
You might recognize him from the Netflix hit The Queen’s Gambit as well as The Great and the more recent Midas Man.
Jacob is also an Executive Producer on Birth: A New Story. During the initial campaign, him and I streamed a live conversation about birth and fatherhood, which you may enjoy below:
You’re welcome to check out the full Youtube channel for more fantastic conversations.
the kickstarter has been cancelled though...