Centerpiece Film

How to Have an American Baby is a kaleidoscopic voyage into the booming shadow economy catering to pregnant Chinese tourists who travel to Southern California on “birthing vacations”—in order to obtain U.S. citizenship for their babies. Told through a series of intimately observed storylines and situations, we meet expectant mothers, maternity hotel operators and operator wannabes, local doctors and civic officials, birth tourism agents in China, and the nannies, cooks, and chauffeurs that fuel this industry. Inside bedrooms, delivery rooms, and private family meetings, the story of a hidden global economy emerges—depicting the fortunes and tragedies that befall the ordinary people caught in the web of its influence.

**Filmmakers in attendance for Q&A**