Filmmaker Statement

STARBORN is an honest and frank look at the reproductive choice of one woman in the space age. Set in the near future, it follows the first woman set to travel into interstellar space as she must decide whether to continue with her mission or her surprise pregnancy. I became pregnant in 2022, just as the Dobb’s decision was announced. I wrote this film while pregnant, shot principal photography 2 weeks before giving birth, cut it with a newborn, and shot the final scene with baby in tow. ‘Labor of love’ is quite literal in this film’s case. I wanted to bring the audience in on a choice that many women all over the world make at one point in their life: to keep the baby, or keep the job? Our film is not political in the sense that there is no discussion of the legalities at large surrounding abortion. Our film is, however, innately political in the fact that the choice even exists for our main character.