Billed as the event that all pregnant women or women thinking of becoming pregnant should see, the Motherbaby International Film Festival (MIFF), is making its first stop here in Bermuda starting today.

Held at the Bermuda Underwater Exploration Institute (BUEI), the festival, which aims to improve the images of birth, to empower women and inspire social change features 15 educational films about a multitude of topics ranging from alternate methods of birth to topics on child-rearing.

Diana Paul, MIFF founder, and Bermudian Sophia Cannonier, a midwife-in-training and the MIFF organiser and production co-ordinator, are excited at the opportunity to educate Bermudians.

"What we hope to do is to educate about giving an atmosphere of love for women when they are giving birth because that makes the birth process so much better. These films empower and point the way to having a wonderful birth. If you want to have a wonderful birth try this. Try loving your partner and your family," they said.

The films, ranging in length, have been produced throughout the world, including the United States, Mexico, France, Costa Rica, Guatemala and Israel and the festival will be on tour in several different locations including Michigan, San Jose and Costa Rica.

Kicking off the festival tonight is the film entitled The Drugging of Our Children by Gary Null, Ph.D., considered a leading health and nutrition expert. The film features his view about "the increasingly common practice of prescribing psychotropic drugs for children, including preschoolers as young as two to four who have been diagnosed with ADD or ADHD."

Dr. Null's second film, Vaccine Nation, will be screened tomorrow morning. "The festival is beginning Friday with a 'meet the filmmakers' event and we are also going to screen a very important film called The Drugging of Our Children by Gary Null. Saturday morning we will be screening another film of his called Vaccine Nation and afterwards he's going to talk about that film," said Mrs. Paul.

Another topic of the festival is on giving birth at home versus giving birth in the hospital. "As you know, in Bermuda we do not have systems in place for birthing out of the hospital," explained Mrs. Cannonier.

"Everything takes place in the hospital under medical advising, under medical procedures, unless you are going to make your own arrangements for out of hospital birth. People just aren't comfortable with taking matters into their own hands.

"Our message is how to get that normalcy of birth back and to take the fear out of it. There are many couples, men and women both, who are fearful as well and so they influence their wives. When you birth with power and confidence and knowledge of yourself and a commitment to taking care of your child then it sets up the process of taking care your child as they grow into adulthood.

"You'll make better choices with decisions like vaccine. Don't wait until it's time to vaccinate to take charge of your child's health. Why not start at the birth or the conception? The message of this festival is that you can do it."

"I teach conscious birth classes and so many women say 'I just need to go to the hospital' or 'I need to be somewhere in case something happens.' We are led to believe that we are not capable of doing that and the system is not going to buck and change because they want us to go to the hospital because there is more money to be made at the hospital.

"A hospital is a business and a business is there to make money. They are going to keep telling us that it is unsafe and that we are not capable of birthing our babies safely. If you want to have the birth outside the hospital it can be done but it's going to take the dad and the mom to really work for it and connect with people like myself (Sophia Cannonier) and other parents that have gone through it.

"There have been seven home births in Bermuda already this year. Usually with a hospital, birth is about one third of their income"

Mrs. Cannonier, who is also execMrs. Cannonier, who is also executive director of Sage Femme (French for wise woman) has a number of films included in the festival that speak to the alternative birthing options for women that are available.

"I think one of the biggest obstacles for women is not knowing and being afraid of the unknown. That's what one of things we are trying to do with the films is to educate women about the other options out there.

"The direction for giving birth naturally comes from within so women have to be encouraged to look into their own situation.

"In society there are things we don't talk about and this is one of them, but we really should because it would be beneficial to our society if we did."

Tickets for the film festival can be purchased online through the Health Coop web site www.healthcoop.bm or by calling 236-0336. Seating is limited.