‘"Give Light: Stories from Indigenous Midwives" — A Powerful Call to Reclaim Birth Filmmaker Steph Smith's debut documentary is a quietly urgent portrait of an ancient profession under threat. Shot across five continents over a decade, the film weaves together voices of Indigenous midwives from Mexico, South Africa, Thailand, Brazil, Peru, and Colombia — grounded in Smith's adopted home: New Orleans. Local midwives serve as a narrative chorus, bridging traditional and contemporary practice. Their struggles — low wages, inadequate insurance, restrictive licensing — prove startlingly universal. Smith builds a compelling case that America's over-medicalized approach to birth is failing women. With maternal death rates near 24 per 100,000 and C-section rates at nearly 32%, the numbers speak for themselves. Give Light is not anti-medicine — it's pro-balance. Personal, political, and beautifully purposeful, this film arrives at exactly the right moment.‘

‘Women In Film and Television-Louisiana would like to give a warm shout out to our fellow sister, Steph Smith! Steph has made extensive contributions to our film industry for 15 years. She has recently been accepted (one of 44 people worldwide) into Sundance's Co//ab Documentary Course. Her work is informative, healing, and worth delving into. WIFT-Louisiana is proud to have a powerhouse healer and teacher as a fellow member! Congratulations on being accepted into Sundance, Steph! Please take a look into Steph Smith's GIVE LIGHT and stay tuned for her future productions!‘

‘IVE LIGHT, Steph Smith's powerful directorial debut, explores the history of midwifery and its conflict with modern medicine. The title refers to women's ability to birth a child, embracing birth's spiritual essence. The result of ten years of filming across five continents, the film features indigenous midwives from Belize, Brazil, Peru, Thailand, Greece, and the United States, highlighting cultural practices that honor nature and the bond between child and the natural world. As obstetrics grew more technological, birth's dependence on interventions followed. Smith's film traces this tension while serving as a testament to midwifery's resilience. Persuasive and richly traveled, Give Light makes a strong case for investing in midwifery. Anyone seeking a fresh perspective on childbirth and a window into other cultures will revel in this documentary.‘

‘Give Light, a documentary film directed by Steph Smith highlights the voices of traditional midwives from different cultures and adds them to the modern maternity care dialogue. Filmed in Brazil, Peru, Namibia, Belize, America, Thailand, Colombia, Costa Rica, Greece, and Spain, Give Light sheds light on the herbal methods that have been used by indigenous midwives globally to support mothers during birth. From interviews with indigenous midwives, Give Light offers a solution to the continued worldwide maternity care crisis by bridging the gap between traditional wisdom and modern technology. The film focuses on interviews with multiple midwives and their contributions to the healthcare field as well as the issues they see in modern maternity healthcare.‘

‘In the face of the widespread medicalization of birth, Give Light documents the knowledge and practices of indigenous midwives across the globe. Featuring interviews with birth workers in North and South America, Asia, Europe, and Africa, the film provides a rarely seen window into how these midwives carry their profession forward, in some cases against great institutional pressures. Give Light also includes data and scholarly research illustrating the validity and effectiveness of traditional midwifery. As such, it makes for an extremely effective and engaging text for educating about the history of midwifery, the medicalization of birth, and alternative birthing possibilities.” – Clare Daniel, PhD, Tulane Professor and author of Mediating Morality: The Politics of Teen Pregnancy in the Post-Welfare Era‘