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How to Have an American Baby

Play trailer 2:04 Poster for How to Have an American Baby 2023 1h 57m Documentary Play Trailer Watchlist
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Tracing the underground birth tourism industry from Beijing and Shanghai to Los Angeles, Leslie Tai's feature film debut HOW TO HAVE AN AMERICAN BABY is a creative documentary that takes us behind the closed doors of the booming shadow economy catering to Chinese tourists who travel to the U.S. to give birth--in order to obtain U.S. citizenship for their babies. Told through a series of intimately observed, interwoven storylines, 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 aspirations and anxieties, fortunes and tragedies that befall the ordinary people caught in the web of its influence.

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How to Have an American Baby

Critics Reviews

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John Anderson Wall Street Journal 12/08/2023
“How to Have an American Baby” is a virtual one-woman production, which may explain the extraordinary intimacy achieved by producer, writer, cinematographer, director and editor Leslie Tai. Go to Full Review Paul Emmanuel Enicola The Movie Buff 07/08/2024
B
As a study of the complexity of the human experience in our globalized world, “How to Have an American Baby” is a compassionate portrait of women’s reproductive journeys, juxtaposed with traditions and capitalist desires. Go to Full Review Scott Phillips Forbes 04/14/2023
How to Have an American Baby is a solid piece of film journalism. Go to Full Review Read all reviews
How to Have an American Baby

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Cast & Crew

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Leslie Tai

Director

Leslie Tai

Screenwriter

Leslie Tai

Producer

Jillian Schultz

Producer

Charlotte Cook

Executive Producer

Esther Robinson

Executive Producer
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How to Have an American Baby

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How to Have an American Baby

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Movie Info

Synopsis Tracing the underground birth tourism industry from Beijing and Shanghai to Los Angeles, Leslie Tai's feature film debut HOW TO HAVE AN AMERICAN BABY is a creative documentary that takes us behind the closed doors of the booming shadow economy catering to Chinese tourists who travel to the U.S. to give birth--in order to obtain U.S. citizenship for their babies. Told through a series of intimately observed, interwoven storylines, 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 aspirations and anxieties, fortunes and tragedies that befall the ordinary people caught in the web of its influence.
Director
Leslie Tai
Producer
Leslie Tai, Jillian Schultz
Screenwriter
Leslie Tai
Production Co
Big Belly Woman
Genre
Documentary
Original Language
English
Release Date (Streaming)
Aug 19, 2025
Runtime
1h 57m
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