The Motherhood Archives, a documentary by Irene Lusztig is a project that looks at histories of childbirth in the 20th century using an extensive archive of maternal educational films from 1919 to present day. The film explores ideologies and cinematic discourses of childbirth and motherhood.
I wrote about Irene and The Motherhood Archives when it screened the Cliffe Connections film series at the Schlesinger Library in September. I had the honor of working on this film while Irene was a fellow at the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study, and I am now working on the project in the distribution stage.
Here is the trailer:
The film is being distributed by Women Make Movies, and is now available on their website on DVD. See their website for more information about purchasing/renting the film.
This experimental, exploratory documentary about motherhood and childbirth is unusual and beautiful, and was created using a breadth of archival footage from Schlesinger Library. For more information, see the film's website, check out Irene's interview for The New Inquiry, or find The Motherhood Archives on Facebook.
