The Daily Bulletin

The Beyond Boundaries Film and Discussion Series is pleased to present the award-winning film Aftershock on Thursday, March 9, at 7:00 p.m. in the Burchfield Penney Art Center Tower Auditorium. The screening is free and open to the public and will be followed by a panel discussion.

Directed by Paula Eiselt and Tonya Lewis Lee, this compelling documentary was the winner of the Sundance Film Festival U.S. Documentary Special Jury Award in 2022. Following the deaths of two women from childbirth complications, their bereaved families galvanize activists, birth workers, and physicians to reckon with one of the most pressing American crises today: the U.S. maternal health crisis.  

In 2019 and 2020, young mothers-to-be Shamony Gibson and Amber Rose Isaac died from complications of emergency C-sections. Within weeks of Isaac’s death, her partner, Bruce, made contact with Gibson’s partner, Omari, and together they began the fight for justice with their families and community by their side. Throughout the film, we witness two families become ardent activists in the material health space, seeking justice through legislation, medical accountability, community, and the power of art. Their work introduces us to a myriad of people, including a growing brotherhood of surviving Black fathers, along with the work of midwives and physicians on the ground fighting for institutional reform.

Watch the trailer.

Beyond Boundaries is sponsored by the Equity and Campus Diversity Office, the Communication Department, and the Burchfield Penney Art Center. The series is curated by Ruth Goldman and Meg Knowles, associate professors of media production in the Communication Department.