Made in India is a feature length documentary from filmmakers Rebecca Haimowitz and Vaishali Sinha. The film explores the human experiences behind the phenomena of “outsourcing” surrogate mothers to India.
In a review of the film, Varietywrote: “Rebecca Haimowitz and Vaishali Sinha’s engrossing feature follows a working-class U.S. couple proceeding with a last-resort hope for having a child genetically their own: paying a young Mumbai woman to carry their implanted embryos in her womb.”
In the United States, surrogacy can cost up to $100,000. For Lisa and Brian Switzer, the subjects in the film who have exhausted natural options at childbirth, those costs are prohibitive. They look to India, where the cost of surrogacy is reported at roughly $25,000. “In the US, if you’re struggling to have a child, you have to be a lawyer or a doctor to afford this,” they said. “It’s not fair.” When accused of exploitation, Lisa responds: “Walk a mile in my shoes before you judge me.”
The award-winning film screens at 92YTribeca on November 9. Both filmmakers will be in attendance to discuss issues of sex, sexism and colonial legacy.
