International Women’s Day Documentary Screening

by Leah Henkel on February 26, 2013

March 8 is International Women’s Day, and to coincide with this day of recognition, the locally produced documentary The Face of Birth will be distributed globally to celebrate women’s rights in childbirth. Newcastle will be one of the first cities in the world to kick off these celebrations through a screening of the documentary at Event Cinemas (Tower Cinemas) on King Street. The documentary is about educating and empowering women to have the type of birth they choose, exposing the politics of childbirth and its recognition as a human rights issue across the globe.

“The Face of Birth is the finest educational and inspirational film on the subject of birth that I’ve ever seen.” — Suzanne Arms, Author and maternity activist (USA)

This red carpet event complete with canapés and champagne will also be a celebration of Newcastle based director and cinematographer Gavin Banks (goodeyedeer.com.au). Banks began to develop the documentary almost 9 years ago when he discovered the injustice of women’s rights in childbirth. The last four years has seen Banks collaborating with Melbourne-based producer and director Kate Gorman (BabyBanksia.com.au), launching The Face of Birth together nationally last year on International Women’s Day.

As a results of the domestic, independent release in 2012, The Face of Birth was screened at over 100 locations across Australia and New Zealand. The movie has now received significant support globally, being translated in 10 languages including Croatian, Slovakian, Dutch, German, Spanish, French and Italian. Another achievement of this film is the instrumental part it played in stopping the Australian government’s decision to make homebirth illegal, a still highly controversial topic. Due to the film’s great success, birth advocates globally are paying attention to this wonderfully produced documentary.

Hosted by Chrissy Grainger (Significant Beginnings) and Natalie Brazil (Golden Chair Yoga), this one night only screening will cost $20 per ticket which includes a red carpet event with one complimentary beverage on arrival at 6.30pm. The film will be screened from 7pm and a Q&A with Co-Director Gavin Banks and ‘baby whisperer’ obstetrician, Dr. Andrew Bisits will follow immediately afterwards. To book, visit the Event Cinemas website. For more information about this inspiring documentary, visit The Face of Birth website.