ABOUT THE FILM

LOGLINE

BIRTHING A NATION: THE RESISTANCE OF MARY GAFFNEY explores the story of forced reproduction in the antebellum South and reveals the agency of Mary Gaffney, an enslaved woman who takes control of her body and fertility.

LONG SYNOPSIS

We’ve heard of Harriett Tubman’s operation to free enslaved people through the Underground Railroad and Sojourner Truth’s fiery speeches calling for abolition and women’s rights. These stories have been portrayed as heroic efforts by “extraordinary” women... and they were. But the story rarely told is of the quiet rebellion and daily acts of defiance by “ordinary” enslaved women.

Birthing A Nation: The Resistance of Mary Gaffney explores the story of forced reproduction in the antebellum South and reveals the agency of Mary Gaffney, an enslaved woman who takes control of her body and fertility. Hidden in plain sight, the film revisits a 1930’s interview of Mary Gaffney by the Works Progress Administration. In her own words, Mary creates a poignant and at times heartbreaking testimony of what it meant to be an enslaved woman in the United States. Mary’s testimony is supported by a tapestry of memories and insights from formerly enslaved men and women, who explore the ways in which slavery perverted and exploited the relational and familial bonds of Black men and women.

Harrowing archival imagery is used evocatively to illuminate Mary’s world, both real and imagined, her relentless resistance, and her hopes and dreams for the future. The film is informed by a cast of Black women scholars who give historical context and significance, unearthing the buried truths about the American experience that have been omitted entirely from textbooks. Just as slavery was woven into the fabric of our nation, so was rebellion in the soul of who we are.

Director Nazenet Habtezghi

Producers Nazenet Habtezghi, Lauren Wimbush

Executive Producers Sheila Nevins, Stanley Nelson, Nina L. Diaz, Liza Burnett Fefferman

Associate Producer Zach Sell

Editor Steven J. Golliday

Cinematographers Mead Hunt, Colin Bressler

Music Osei Essed

Voice Artists Liz Mikel, Amara Granderson, Moses Habtezghi, Pernell Walker

FESTIVALS
2023: Black Star (World Premiere)

AVAILABLE TERRITORIES
The World

EXHIBITION FORMATS
DCP, Digital Download