"Florence... the experience of becoming a mother in exile"

Cover of Florence DVD This is a short documentary film made by Anna Gaudion towards an MA in Refugee Studies at The University of East London. It was made as part of a collaborative project between Helen Murshali, Health Policy Advisor at the Refugee Council and Claire Homeyard a Consultant Midwife. It is aimed at practicing midwives and policy advisors.

Central to the film are the accounts from women of why they sought asylum in the UK. One mother, a teenager from the Democratic Republic of Congo with twin boys discusses, through an interpreter, her experience of becoming a mother. The aim of the film is to give these women a voice and to provide a forum where they can be heard.

Parallel to these stories, Claire Homeyard liaises with a number of professionals to clarify issues around need and access to service. The film concludes with a short analysis of the possible consequences of the changing entitlement of failed asylum seekers to access health care.