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MATRONAS

The Struggle to Protect Birth In El Salvador

Salvadoran midwives, who delivered babies even during the Civil War, now fight to protect their ancestral role in the face of government repression. As people in El Salvador lose their right to give birth at home, dehumanizing hospital experiences become the standard way of ushering life into the world. The caretaking traditions of these midwives are at risk of being lost to future generations.

THE FILMMAKERS

Shara Lili is a Hungarian American filmmaker based in California. She studied the history of modern social movements and revolutions at Stanford University. She has produced and edited hundreds of commercials and corporate documentaries for clients including Tesla, Google, Nike, SanDisk, and Western Digital. She executive produced and edited the narrative dramatic short film Inamorata, which premiered at Blackstar and on Issa Rae Presents.

Noemí Delgado is a doula and health educator living between California and El Salvador. In 2019, she won a Public Health Fulbright Research Award to work with la Asociación de Parteras Rosa Andrade in Suchitoto, El Salvador. In addition to providing prenatal support with the midwives, she conducted an oral history project to document their stories. She is passionate about spiritual healing and reproductive justice for her community. She is co-founder of the collective Cuidando a Las Que Nos Cuidan.

FESTIVALS AND AWARDS

Award Of Merit in Film - Latin American Studies Association Film Festival
Best Cinematography – Documentary Short Film Festival
Official Selection – San Diego Latino Film Festival
Official Selection – Oakland Short Film Festival

MATRONAS: THE STRUGGLE TO PROTECT BIRTH IN EL SALVADOR

Catalog # EPF16035 ● ISBN: 978-1-933724-75-1 ● UPC: 6-82086-16035-1 ● NTSC

28 Minutes ● Copyright 2021 ● Spanish & English Subtitles