The West Coast Doula Collective, a group of birth and post-partum doulas working with birthing families in the Alberni Valley and beyond, is sponsoring the Trust Birth Film Festival at Char’s Landing for the next six weeks.
The film fest opens with a simultaneous world premiere of One World Birth’s new film, Freedom for Birth. This film tells the story of the Hungarian midwife, Agnes Gereb, who is jailed for supporting women giving birth at home despite a ruling by the European Human Rights Commission that all European women have the right to choose where and with whom they birth their babies.
Freedom for Birth will be simultaneously premiered on Thursday, Sept. 20 in more than 50 countries and nearly 1,000 locations spanning the globe. In Port Alberni this film will screen at Char’s Landing; doors open at 6:30 p.m., film starts at 7:00 pm.
Freedom for Birth will be followed by five other birth or parenting themed films.
• Sept. 27: The Business of Being Born,
• Oct. 4: What Babies Want—An Exploration of the Consciousness of Infants,
Oct. 11: Doula! The Ultimate Birth Companion,
Oct. 18: Babies,
Oct. 25: Orgasmic Birth.
With these films, WCDC hopes to offer the community a look at how other countries and cultures experience birth and parenting.
“All of us are responsible for the choices we make and birth is no different,” says Cornelia, Slotiuk, chair of the doula collective.
“Informing women about the many options and choices available to them, and supporting them in the choices they make, is one of many ways doulas work with their clients,” she said.
“As each woman finds her own, unique way to the birth she envisions for herself and her baby, it is our hope that the information in these films will help women realize that there are many ways to birth. Women will remember their baby’s birth forever.”
All of the films are free of charge and open to all members of the public. Refreshments will be available before the film at Char’s Landing. Time for discussion will follow each film.
(Note: because of the subject matter there is some nudity and explicit birth scenes in most of the films.)
For more information, please call Cornelia Slotiuk at 250-724-4088 or e-mail at douladarlin@gmail.com.
