40 Weeks

In The Womb

January 2005 •English

In The Womb is a 2005 National Geographic Channel documentary that focus on studying and showing the development of the embryo in the uterus. The show makes extensive use of Computer-generated imagery to recreate the real stages of the process.

Der lange Weg ans Licht

February 2008 •German

Edeltraut Hertel - a midwife caught between two worlds. She has been working as a midwife in a small village near Chemnitz for almost 20 years, supporting expectant mothers before, during and after the birth of their offspring. However, working as a midwife brings with it social problems such as a decline in birth rates and migration from the provinces. Competition for babies between birthing centers has become fierce, particularly in financial terms. Obstetrics in Tanzania, Africa, Edeltraud's second place of work, is completely different. Here, the midwife not only delivers babies, she also trains successors, carries out educational and development work and struggles with the country's cultural and social problems.

Stuttgart Shanghai

March 2007 •English

A young pair from Stuttgart fly to Shanghai to hop aboard the textile business of his father while she prepares for the birth of their son. A story about the ever more common movement of Germans into the East for professional gain.

Dear Zachary: A Letter to a Son About His Father

October 2008 •English

In 2001, Andrew Bagby, a medical resident, is murdered not long after breaking up with his girlfriend. Soon after, when she announces she's pregnant, one of Andrew's many close friends, Kurt Kuenne, begins this film, a gift to the child.

A Quiet Inquisition

June 2014 •Spanish

At a public hospital in Nicaragua, Ob/Gyn Dr. Carla Cerrato must choose between following a law that bans all abortions and endangers her patients or taking a risk and providing the care that she knows can save a woman's life. In 2007, Dr. Cerrato’s daily routine took a detour. The newly elected government of Daniel Ortega, a former Marxist revolutionary who converted to Catholicism to win votes, overturned a 130-year-old law protecting therapeutic abortion. The new law entirely prohibits abortion, even in cases of rape, incest, or when a woman’s life is at stake. As Carla and her colleagues navigate this dangerous dilemma, the impact of this law emerges—illuminating the tangible reality of prohibition against the backdrop of a political, religious, and historically complex national identity. The emotional core of the story—the experiences and situations of the young women and girls who are seeking care—illustrate the ethical implications of one doctor's response.

The Story of the Weeping Camel

June 2003 •Mongolian

When a Mongolian nomadic family's newest camel colt is rejected by its mother, a musician is needed for a ritual to change her mind.

Bodysong

December 2003 •English

Documentary footage from various sources, set to music. Showing the whole of human life, from birth to death and beyond.

Než přijde dítě

January 1953 •Czech

The Baby Formula

July 2008 •English

Two adventurous women in love are desperate to have their own biological child. They take a chance on an experimental scientific process and make sperm from their own stem cells. Pregnant with humor and unexpected twists, their journey ultimately confirms that all life is a gift and all families are crazy.

Yanuni

June 2025 •English

Indigenous chief Juma Xipaia fights to protect tribal lands despite assassination attempts. Her struggle intensifies after learning she's pregnant, while her husband, Special Forces ranger Hugo Loss, stands by her side.

Girls

March 2006 •Portuguese

Evelin, 13, is pregnant from a 22-year-old who recently left the drug trade. Luana, 15 years old, declares that she planned her pregnancy, as she wanted to have a child of her own. Edilene, 14 years old, is expecting Alex's child, who also got her neighbor Joice pregnant. Over the course of a year, the daily lives of these three young women are followed.

Diary of a Pregnant Woman

April 1958 •French

Impressions of the rue Mouffetard, Paris 5, through the eyes of a pregnant woman.

Le monde selon bébé

December 2005 •French

From the seventh month of pregnancy, the five senses of the baby in utero become functional. In the closed universe that is his, a formidable sensory exploration begins. How does he perceive his world and ours? What are its learning and memorization capacities? What happens when he is born in our world of air and gravity, which is far different from the world of his gestation, where all his needs were satisfied "to the nanosecond"? This documentary explains with precision, and a certain wonder, what we know today about the experiences and faculties of the little man, before and after birth.

In The Womb: Animals

December 2006 •English

Using 4-D technology, the early stages of a Golden Retriever puppy, a dolphin, and an elephant are examined.

Choosing Children

November 1984 •English

CHOOSING CHILDREN is a pioneering film about parenting in non-traditional families and helped to open dialogue about the meaning and reality of the "modern family." This film takes an intimate look at the issues faced by lesbians and gay men who decide to become parents after coming out.

Aria

July 2017 •French

Aria, a film about queer parents, identity and family constructions. It is through a series of portraits, of people leaning their faces over her belly that the artist proposes a diversity of stories and reflections on motherhood, parenthood, the desire or not to have a child, descent, and childhood. Entirely shot using smartphones, the film proposes an intimate journey, told via sensitive, fun or moving words, a contemporary family album.

The Birth Reborn 2

May 2018 •Portuguese

Featuring experts in their fields and raw and moving footage, this documentary makes a case for increased autonomy in women's choices for childbirth.

My Pregnant Husband

July 2020 •English

Couples Ari and Caitlin and Myles and Precious experience the joy of a transgender pregnancy when Ari and Myles, the men in their relationships, become pregnant.

Inside the Human Body

May 2011 •English

Using spectacular graphics based on the latest science and stories of remarkable people around the world, Michael Mosley takes us on a fantastic voyage through our inner universe.

Birth Story: Ina May Gaskin and the Farm Midwives

January 2013 •English

Birth Story: Ina May Gaskin and The Farm Midwives captures a spirited group of women who taught themselves how to deliver babies on a 1970s hippie commune. Today as nearly one third of all US babies are born via C-section, they fight to protect their knowledge and to promote respectful, safe maternity practices all over the globe. From the backs of their technicolor school buses, these pioneers rescued American midwifery from extinction, changed the way a generation approached pregnancy, and filmed nearly everything they did. With unprecedented access to the midwives' archival video collection, as well as modern day footage of life at the alternative intentional community where they live, this documentary shows childbirth the way most people have never seen it--unadorned, unabashed, and awe-inspiring.