Birth on the Border

This intimate and personal documentary follows two women from Ciudad Juárez as they cross the U.S.-Mexico border legally to give birth in Texas, putting their hearts and bodies on the line as they confront harassment at the hands of U.S. border officials.

One million people legally cross the U.S.-Mexico border every day in both directions. Among them are women who cross for the purposes of childbirth. With the threat of obstetrical violence in Mexican hospitals and the desire for natural birth with midwives, Gaby and Luisa make the difficult decision to
cross the border to El Paso, seeking a safer future for their children. Even with papers, their journeys are uncertain. Against the backdrop of oppressive U.S. border policy and growing debates over immigration, these women’s stories of risk, strength, and resilience shed light on the realities and challenges of life on the border.

Featured Filmmaker:

Ellie Lobovits is a filmmaker, educator, and cultural observer. Ellie’s research, writing, and filmmaking focus on borderlands, the body, and feminist stories. Her most recent documentary film, Birth on the Border, explores childbirth and legal border-crossing on the US-Mexico border and is a Women Make Movies production. Ellie is also a photographer, childbirth doula, and lover of plants.  Ellie teaches in the Visual and Media Arts Department at Bunker Hill Community College.

About Women Make Movies: For more than 45 years, WMM has transformed the filmmaking landscape for diverse women directors and producers, helping to bring issues facing women around the world to light. Our Production Assistance Program assists women directors with their productions from concept through completion with fiscal sponsorship, consultations, workshop and webinars and other technical assistance. Films and filmmakers we have supported have been nominated for or won Academy® Awards in 12 of the past 13 years. As the world’s leading distributor of independent films by and about women, we amplify the voices of people historically ignored by the mainstream media. Our acclaimed collection, which features Academy, Emmy, Peabody and Sundance nominees and award winners, is used by thousands of cultural, educational and community organizations across North America.

all images courtesy of Women Make Movies