The entries for the First International Infertility Film Festival, in no particular order...
Mel and Josh will make you laugh with a cartoon character you're sure to recognise. Go on over to watch "My Aunt Jane Knows More Than My RE".
Zinnia brings us "Our Story" - a tale of loss and hope, untold gain, and a journey not yet completed.
Max and Vee (the same ones who came up with our logo) have some fantastic imagery in their entry "If We Scream". It's a snappy piece which packs a lot in about the transition from innocence and excitement into the frightening rollercoaster world of infertility.
Jules brings us "I'm Here Without You Baby" - a sad song, filled with longing - and "There's A Light At The End Of The Tunnel" - a more upbeat piece which conveys the spirit of hope. Family and friends will find information and advice mixed in with both of these, too.
For those who need a dash of encouragement, Dramalish shows us her joy at finally becoming a parent. Her film contains heartfelt words of inspiration for those who need something to hang onto.
Serenity introduces us to her ghost child in "The Rocking Chair" - a piece of furniture that sits waiting in the room which will one day be a nursery.
If you think fun should be educational, Watson has the perfect set of entries. Her three videos go through the process of mixing IVF medications. As she says in her film, she's not a professional - but she did make it successfully to embryo transfer.
Some say the worst of infertility treatment comes with "The Horrors Of A Two Week Wait". Miss Chris gives us her video diary from her wait in November.
DI Dad, Eric, has always had many thought-provoking things to say about donor conception. In "My World" he gives us not only his, but many points of view on donor conception. His second entry, "My Fears", is a candid expression of the concerns he faces as a dad to children conceived through donor insemination, and how those concerns have evolved over time.
Over at the Technostork site you can view the trailer for this feature-length documentary which follows several infertile couples through their IVF journey.
Teamwinks gives us her biography of infertility so far in "Finding Hope". It's a brave film about smiling through the heartache and moving forward despite the setbacks.
"Nor Will I Ever Let You Go" is the name of the tribute Karaoke Diva has put together for her little Bean, lost before birth, who will never be forgotten.
No less heartfelt is the entry by Anna who tells us her story of infertility followed by loss, which asks infertility's constant question: "Where do we go from here?"
For my part, I've prepared two entries. The first is "Untitled Accoustic Country Blues Song" - a melancholy music video about how an infertile woman in the depths of her grief relates to the fertile community around her. The second is "Taxi Ride" - a slideshow of photos provided by bloggers around the world - from Europe and America to Australia, Asia, Africa and the Middle East. I'm glad you're on my side.
Finally, the entry which kicked it all off. "A Seasonal Reminder" was posted by myself back in mid-December - but is good advice for family and friends at any time of year.
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25 comments:
Bea, this is incredible. You need to do this every year. I have spent the afternoon having one of the best cries ever. Every entry so far has been so beautiful.
Bea, I decided last minute to give it a go. I have a link on my site for my video. Thanks for the inspiration.
Bea: Thank you for putting this together it was an amazing idea. And a million thanks to all who submitted movies. Watching them has brought through circle of emotion. You are all beautiful and I appreciate more than anything hearing your stories and knowing you are all out there. Thanks again. Merideth
All wonderful!
fantastic idea! This should maybe be an on going thing that people can add their videos to whenever they make them. That way we don't have to wait a whole year :)
Oh this is just so wonderful. I have loved watching all of them. I wish I was smart and creative to come up with so many different films.
THANK YOU!
this is amazing. thank you so much.
YES...thank you so much for putting this together. again, i have connected to so many thugh the common thread.
all of the films were so beautifully made. thank you so much for sharing.
Bea, you rock! Thank you for organizing this; it was wonderful to be a part of it!
All the films were so touching and brilliant.
Thanks again,
-D.
Congratulations to Bea, on a fabulous successful Film Festival.
Congratulations also goes out to all of the creative film makers, who have done a fantastic job with their entries.
Keep up the good work.
Wow - what a phenomenal idea. These films were soo creative and really resonated with me! They made me laugh, cry and everything in between. Thanks for organizing this!!
Bea, this festival is amazing.
Seriously, it's been awesome to watch everyone's videos. And extra awesome since while on bedrest (2ww after IVF and almost-OHSS), I am bored.out.of.my.mind.
I'd say "three cheers for Bea" but you deserve so much more!
Bea, thanks so much for putting this together. All of the films were wonderful and touching. This should be an annual event!
This is wonderful!
I watched every one of these films and I cried every time. Such raw emotion in so many different forms.
I echo Melissa and I hope this becomes an annual tradition. After seeing all of them, I wish I had participated.
I'd like to also thank Dramalish for her film. I didn't get a chance to comment on hers directly.
Not only have I been inspired for the next time, but I'm letting myself hope again.
Thank you so much for this post. All the films are wonderful.
I also decided to post a belated entry. I sent you an email, but you can also see it here: http://karaokediva.blogdns.com/?p=1153
Thank you so much for the inspiration! I had been wanting to do something to honor the pregnancy I lost and you gave me the perfect opportunity. I was so touched by everyone's entries!!
Bea - These are so inspiring to watch.. I can't wait till nex years to get imovieing! you've done an amazing job putting it all together.
Thanks for all the feedback so far. I'm glad to hear that people have been inspired, given new hope, and, er, made to cry.
It seems there's a lot of demand for another festival at some point. I think a year's too long a time frame, but we can have that discussion in full after we've had a chance to appreciate all the entries for this time around. In the meantime, have a think about it and get your opinion ready.
Bea
Job well done! I love it. Everyone is just so creative. Do we get to vote on a winner? Like a real Film Festival. Although everyone deserves to be a winner. :-)
Quite a turnout, and that's not counting the lurkers. Well hosted!
Thanks for putting this festival together. All of the videos were wonderful, amazing, heartbreaking, and inspiring.
I know that infertility, if you let it, can rob you of joy, happiness and meaning in life. I know because I am infertile too. As an infertile couple, I really believe that we are much more in awe of the miracle of our children than those who never had to worry about filling that hole in their heart. What makes me sad is when I see other couples out there struggling with infertility and thinking they can never have chidren.....you can. We have finally chosen to adopt, and it has been the most amazing life-changing thing in our lives, we only wonder what took us so long. IVF can let you down, and even deepen that emptiness you feel, while adoption offers nothing but hope. And nothing else matters when that baby is in your arms. So to those of you out there struggling, please give adoption a glance, you have nothing to lose and everything to gain.
Jenny - I'm really glad to hear your joy with your decision, but I just wanted to point out a few things for those stopping by who don't understand the issues like you do.
First of all, there is loss in adoption, and this must be faced. Secondly, adoption is not a universally similar experience - some countries make it easy for parents to adopt, and some make it next to impossible. Many couples also face unique issues - health issues, beaurocratic and legal issues, citizenship and residency issues, financial issues, family and cultural issues...
It's great to hear from people who are glad they adopted, and it's definitely best to give all options fair consideration. But it's not a matter of "just adopting", nor should it ever be thought of like that.
Bea
Bea, I understand what you are saying about different situations. We are pursuing another adoption now that has taken a long time, but each adoption is different and some are faster than others. However, there are fewer restrictions with adoption than people perceive there to be. And many states give more than 10,000$ back in taxes on any adoption, and there are other grants that can be given that never have to be paid back. Adoption is much more affordable than the infertility treatments out there. If anyone wants information or has questions, I am more than happy to talk to you. I don't think people should be told to "just adopt", it is a big decision that will change your life, but I really encourage people to give it a glance, do some research, it could be the best miracle you ever thought possible.
I guess I'm coming at it from the perspective of someone whose citizenship in is a place where adoption (no tax rebates or grants here) costs as much as fifteen to twenty fully-stimmed IVF/ICSI cycles (unlimited coverage), takes an average of five years (at best, for international - domestic adoption is almost unheard of) and is (in my state) only available intermittently (there is one state-run adoption agency, and it opens and shuts applications unpredictably. Some couples have waited years just to apply to start the process. A couple I know of pursued adoption for six years before giving up and moving on to IVF - successfully.)
As well, I'm someone who's been advised by my clinical geneticist to get pregnant to reduce my risk of breast cancer, for which I have a family history. I think he also said eat well and exercise, but the benefits are not as profound.
Everyone should weigh all their options, but for some couples, in some parts of the world, the scales are tipped very much in favour of ART.
Bea
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