Preview: WISE WOMEN FÜNF HEBAMMEN, FÜNF KULTUREN Anwesenheit der Regisseurin Nicole Scherg, Moderation und Gespräch mit Hebamme Luzie König

In the organizer's words:

"Birth doesn't follow a schedule": Director Nicole Scherg's documentary follows five midwives in Ethiopia, Brazil, Morocco, Nepal and Austria. A film about nothing less than our becoming human and its circumstances.

They were the first to see us in the world: The five heroines of the film are experts in the most important thing in the world: helping mothers to bring a child into the world. Director Nicole Scherg accompanies Genet Gebru from Ethiopia, "Hajja" Aïcha El Fathi from Morocco, Kanchan Mala Shrestha from Nepal, Gunda Gutscher from Austria and Sheila Santos from Brazil. How women give birth concerns us all: After all, we were all born once. The midwives accompany this physiological process, which is universal and natural - and yet deeply individual. Whether in the high-tech operating room, in the women's managed birth center or in the rain in the village, they navigate the path between worlds. They know about the uncontrollability of childbirth and are reliable guides in borderline situations.

Women's health, as quickly becomes clear in this film, always follows economic and social conditions. Nicole Scherg worked in an all-female core team with camerawoman Maria-Thérèse Zumtobel, sound recordist Eva Hausberger, editor Natalie Schwager and dedicated colleagues on location. After "The future is better than its reputation" and "Life is not a dress rehearsal", Nicole Scherg once again portrays people who dedicate themselves to the essentials: the conscious shaping of life, in this case the beginning in this world. "Birth is the most everyday state of emergency in the world. A borderline experience, a force of nature; for the women giving birth, the women giving birth - and those who accompany them," says Scherg. These women have the future in their hands, metaphorically, but also in reality.

Running time:90 minutes

FSK:6

Production:Austria

Year:2025

Director:Nicole Scherg