All My Babies (1953)
In the National Film Registry
•
54m
Midwife Mary Coley delivers hope & babies in segregated Georgia.
All My Babies (1953) might surprise you at first glance. It isn't a film pushing boundaries with abstract imagery or sound. Instead, it's a documentary following a midwife's work. But beneath its seemingly straightforward surface lies a challenge to the status quo.
Made for a specific audience – midwives and medical professionals in the American South – the film champions the crucial role African American midwives played in delivering babies, particularly in rural areas.
By documenting their expertise and the trust they built within communities, All My Babies nudges the established medical system to acknowledge and collaborate with these skilled practitioners.
In this way, the film experiments with the documentary format itself. It doesn't simply record reality; it uses its platform to advocate for change within the medical landscape. This subtle yet powerful approach makes All My Babies a unique example of experimental film.
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