Contact the Traverse City Motherbaby Film Fest! Email Michelle
Traverse City, October 15th - 17th 2008 
Film Descriptions
Below is the complete film listing for our Traverse City event! Many films have trailers to view and all are represented by a description.
A Cow Trough???
A cow trough is turned into a sumptuous birthing spa with the creative genius of a mother and her toddler. Set to music and humorously edited by Matt and Frank Ferrel, you will never look at a cow trough in the same way again.
Running Time: 8 minutes, October 16th, 2:30pm
Autism Yesterday: Filmmakers Live!
With wisdom, love and excellent help, six families show how they recovered their children from the prison of autism. Maureen Block brings her empowering film to Traverse City in person!
Running Time:26 Minutes, October 16th, 4pm
Baby-Led Breastfeeding
Mother Nature is always teaching us how to truly nourish our babies. The baby needs to be calm in order to nurse. And for that, the Mother needs to be calm and present with her baby. In this sweet video, we learn how to help babies follow their instincts. Heart to heart, skin on skin, the new/old technology that leads to successful breastfeeding and sublime satisfaction.
Running Time:16 minutes, October 16th, 1pm
Birth Dialogue
Miri and Amit live in the crush of busy Tel Aviv where most women deliver their babies in the hospital. But these two filmmakers decide to make their cozy apartment the birthplace of their first child. This is a thoughtful and sometimes humorous journey with the parents-to-be in the months leading up to and including the birth of their baby.
Running Time:52 Minutes, October 17th, 1pm
The Birth of Sabine
One of the messages of birth is that every woman is different, each birth is unique, every baby has her own way of arriving. The Birth of Sabine is a Motherbaby favorite. Narration free, this video shows the expansion of a family from beginning to end in ten short minutes. Drama sets in when the baby’s water breaks but Sabine decides to wait in the womb for a little longer. ‘What’s a Mother to do?’
Running Time:10 minutes, October 16th, 2:30pm
The Business of Being Born: Filmmakers Live!
Executive Producer Ricki Lake and Director Abby Epstein will be bringing their film The Business of Being Born to Traverse City! Should most births be viewed as a natural life process, or should every delivery be treated as a potentially catastrophic medical emergency? The pair will lead a Q&A panel after the film October 17th, at 2pm. There will be a second showing the 15th at 6:30 that is FREE for all healthcare providers!
Children of Tak’alik A’baj
No narration, new music and tight editing show a rural Guatemalan couple giving birth to their 9th child at home. No running water and no electricity either. With a black market for babies in Guatemala, it was no easy feat for the filmmaker to find a couple willing to have the birth of their baby videotaped. In the end it was no problem as birth occurs every day around the world in this simple way.
Running Time:7 Minutes, October 16th, 2:30pm
Evidence Based Childbirth : Filmmaker Live!
Narrative from Robbie Davis-Floyd, four mothers, and lots of clips from gorgeous homebirths delivers the message that home birth is safe, desirable and simple. Davis-Floyd says, “94% of births in the US are attended by obstetricians with only 6% attended by midwives. We need to flip the numbers.” She will be with us in Traverse City!
Running Time:15 Minutes, October 16th, 2:30pm
Finding The Words
This version of Finding The Words completely changes the conversation about autism and neurological disorders and tells the story of eight perfect babies, all given a grim diagnosis of autism as toddlers. Their parents fight misinformation, prejudice, and despair to get their children well. There is hope. Children can be recovered.
Running Time:10 Minutes, October 16th, 4pm
Formula for Disaster
UNICEF shows us how sophisticated ads, clever promotions, and bribery are killing an estimated 1.5 million babies each year. Filmed in the Philippines, “the milk companies’ formula for profits is a formula for disaster,’ and this film alerts us to the easily remedied causes.
Running Time:30 Minutes, October 16th, 1pm
It’s My Body, My Baby, My Birth : Filmmaker Live!
San Francisco homebirth midwife, Maria Iorillo will be with us to present her film that shares stories and interviews of clients from her very multicultural practice October 15th, at 4pm.
Running Time:27 Minutes, October 15th, 4pm
Knowledge of Birth (Birth of a Family) : Filmmaker Live!
Christina van Duijn wants women to be empowered by their birth experience, become educated in their choices and know all their options for a healthy delivery. In this film, laughter, joy, tears, and children all attend Christina’s four births. This is a true love story in a unique family making its own way in the world. Christina will be with us for the screening!
Running Time:40 Minutes, October 16th, 8:30pm
Laboring Under an Illusion: Portrayal of Childbirth in the Mass Media - Filmmaker Live!
This video shows how human childbirth is portrayed in American movies, television, and tabloids. Humorist and media specialist Vicki Elson will be here October 17th at 8:30pm with her 100 video clips that contrast Hollywood birth scenes with films made by natural childbirth advocates. Hilarious, alarming, inspiring.
Running Time:60 Minutes, October 17th, 8:30pm
Luna
This luscious birth video is narrative free. It is set to an amazing and beautiful blues rendition of “Silent Night.” In playful hours before the birth, the camera chases Luna’s toddling sister, Sol, through the house and into the bathtub. When Luna arrives, amniotic fluid and bag still intact, we feel refreshed, invigorated, playful and so glad that all of this was ‘captured’ on film.
Running Time:7 Minutes, October 16th, 2:30pm
Miss Margaret
Mrs. Smith was a favorite Granny Midwife in rural Alabama. practicing during segregation delivering over 3,500 babies. About the women she attended, she said, “They’ll know what they’ve got to do if you know how to talk to them. You give ‘em love and kind words.” The wisdom of the grannies is fading,women in Alabama can no longer home birth.
Running Time:60 Minutes, October 15th, 4pm
Pregnant In America: Filmmakers Live!
Hospitals, insurance companies and other members of the healthcare industry have all pushed aside the best care of our infants and mothers to play the power game of raking in huge profits.Writer/Director Steve Buonaugurio and Anthropologist Davis-Floyd will be with us to introduce the film.
Running Time:110 Minutes, October 17th, 5pm
Orgasmic Birth
Debra Pascali-bonaro spent five years researching, interviewing and collaborating for this groundbreaking film which visually and verbally presents birth as an ecstatic experience. Oxytocin, birth and digital videography make a great team in this highly informative film. Those interviewed include Ina May Gaskin, Maureen Corry, Elizabeth Davis, Sarah Buckley and Marsden Wagner.
Running Time:87 Minutes, October 18th, 9:15pm
Sendero de Nimbe
Midwife Naoli Vinaver Lope wrote, filmed, directed and edited this work about a Mexican woman contemplating her options for birth. Naoli was able to use the actual footage from the homebirth of her principal actor.
Running Time:15 Minutes, October 16th, 2:30pm
Vaccine Nation : Filmmakers Live!
Where would you turn, what would you do, who would you trust if you were imprisoned for “shaken baby syndrome” when in reality the cause of your baby’s suffering was a prescribed vaccine? This is the high drama. Gary Null and Maddy Oden bring this groundbreaking video which could change the way we look at vaccines, public policy and our very expensive health care system.
Running Time:90 Minutes, October 16th, 6:30pm
Who Are The De Bolts?
John Korty won an Academy Award for documenting this very multi-cultural family. The original title was “Who Are The DeBolts? And Where Did They Get Nineteen Kids?” But the DeBolts adopted yet another child after the film’s release hence the simplified title. It is now available from itunes and Amazon. This film shows the healing power of hearts aflame with Mother Love. Everyone should see it at least once.
Running Time:73 Minutes, October 16th, 9pm
Vaccine Nation
Where would you turn, what would you do, who would you trust if you were imprisoned for “shaken baby syndrome” when in reality the cause of your baby’s suffering was a prescribed vaccine? Gary Null will be here October 16th at 6:30pm with his groundbreaking documentary that changes the way we look at vaccines, public policy and our health care system. 
View Trailer
Its My Body, My Baby, My Birth
San Francisco homebirth midwife, Maria Iorillo will be with us to present her film that shares stories and interviews of clients from her very multicultural practice October 15th, at 4pm.
Laboring Under An Illusion
60 Minutes
This video shows how human childbirth is portrayed in American movies, television, and tabloids. Humorist and media specialist Vicki Elson will be here October 17th at 8:30pm with her 100 video clips that contrast Hollywood birth scenes with films made by natural childbirth advocates. Hilarious, alarming, inspiring.