With Gordon Quinn, founder and Artistic Director of Kartemquin Films

Marco. Dir. Gordon Quinn. 1970, 80 mins. Digital projection. Described as a “luminous, joyous human document" by Roger Ebert, Marco captures the challenges faced by a woman who decides to give birth without pain medication. This candid and sensitive work of cinema vérité follows the woman and her husband as they learn about natural childbirth, discuss their plans with friends and medical staff, and experience the labor and subsequent birth of their child.

The Chicago Maternity Center Story. Dir. Jerry Blumenthal. 1976, 60 mins. 16mm. For more than 75 years, the Chicago Maternity Center provided safe deliveries outside of the hospital setting, but is forced to close in light of modern medicine's changing attitude toward home birth and a lack of resources caused by those changes. This film interweaves the history of the center with the story of a young woman about to have her first baby, as the center fights to stay open despite declining funds.

Tickets: $12 (Free for members at the Film Lover and MoMI Kids Premium levels and above). Order tickets online. (Members may contact [email protected]with any questions regarding online reservations.) 

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