Synopsis
Every year in Sub-Saharan Africa 200,000 mothers die from complications of pregnancy and childbirth. A great many of these deaths are preventable when women have access to quality prevention, diagnostic, and treatment services.
Birth is a Dream – Maternity in Africa was an official selection of the 2017 WVN Online Film Festival.
About the Filmmaker
Paolo Patruno is a freelance documentary photographer and filmmaker. He has traveled throughout Africa over the past ten years, documenting global topics, including health care, education, human rights, gender equality and women’s empowerment, and sustainable development. Since 2011 he has been working on a long term project called Birth is a Dream which aims to document and raise awareness about maternal health in Africa, which he has also extended to developed nations.
More from the Filmmaker
Birth is a Dream was filmed across DRC, Malawi, and Uganda, in 2011 and 2012. A mother’s death is a human tragedy, affecting families and communities. Her death endangers the lives of a surviving newborn and any other young children; a mother’s death makes it harder for the family to obtain life’s necessities and escape the crush of poverty. Birth is a Dream – Maternity in Africa aims to document and raise awareness about the maternity crisis in Sub-Saharan Africa.
