Made in India
People:
Rebecca Haimowitz (Director & Producer)
Vaishali Sinha (Director & Producer)
Erin Heidenreich (Executive Producer)
Grants:
$27,500 for post-production in 2008
$20,000 for outreach and audience and engagement in Fall/Winter 2010
$10,000 for post-production in Fall/Winter 2010
About the Project
Made in India is a feature length documentary film about the human experiences behind the phenomena of "outsourcing" surrogate mothers to India. The film shows the journey of an infertile American couple, an Indian surrogate and the reproductive outsourcing business that brings them together. Weaving together these personal stories within the context of a growing international industry, Made in India explores a complicated clash of families in crisis, reproductive technology, and choice from a global perspective."Reproductive Tourism" has become a booming trade, valued at more than $450 million in India, and it's growing rapidly. Infertile couples in the U.S. pay up to $100,000 for a domestic surrogacy, but they can pay for the same in India for roughly $25,000 (this includes clinic charges, lawyer's bills, travel and lodging, and the surrogate's fee). But this growth is occurring within a complete legal vacuum: currently, there are no actual laws on surrogacy in India - only suggested guidelines. And yet the practice continues to expand without regulation or protection.
Throughout the film, scenes of America and India are juxtaposed, charting out the obstacles faced by the US couple, and giving an intimate understanding of the surrogate's life story and motivations. Made In India explores the impact of the decisions of one person over the other. This film reveals the legal and ethical implications behind their choices, and presents the conflict between the personal and the political dilemmas of international surrogacy.