No One Told Me provides a raw and honest look at the postpartum period, a unique time in a woman's life that is rarely captured in documentary film.
The purely observational footage of incredibly intimate moments shows the highs and lows encountered by parents Elise and Marc as they adapt to life with a baby.
I made this film after becoming a mother in 2018 and being totally unprepared for how hard those first weeks and months of motherhood are. Initially I thought it was just me, I was having such a hard time because something was wrong with me. When I realised that many women struggle with the transition into motherhood, the idea for No One Told Me was born; A film that observes one woman from birth, through the first days and weeks postpartum. No interviews, no looking back, just being in the moment with her. Showing future mothers and their support system what the postpartum period can look like. Showing new mothers that they are not the only ones struggling. Allowing mothers of all ages to process their own postpartum experience. Allowing those without children to deepen their understanding.
This film is a testament to the fact that as humans we have so much more in common than we think and that we are not as alone as we feel. The power of being vulnerable is to show others that it is safe to share and that it is safe to feel it all. My hope is that No One Told Me contributes to new mothers and their villages to feel deeper into what's needed during the postpartum time. Creating new traditions and support systems that allow new mothers to feel safe and loved and held.
- Zulilah Merry, Documentary Filmmaker / Director & Producer of No One Told Me
No One Told Me has screened at cinema's, conferences, colleges and in libraries all over the world. Interested in hosting a screening? Contact info@merryfilm.com for information and pricing. Optional add on post screening Q&A with filmmaker Zulilah Merry and Elise the mother in the film.
25 October, 2024 / WIC conference -Augusta, Maine
21 October, 2024 / Belfast Free Library - Belfast, Maine
18 May 2024 / Birth Roots Maine - Portland, Maine
15 May 2024 / Victoria Park Community Centre - Perth, Western Australia
1 May 2024 / Onyx Downtown Theater - Nevada City, California
13 April 2024 / Conference: Samen Bevallen - The Netherlands
20 April 2024 / Maine Film Center hosted by KVCAP - Waterville, Maine
7 February 2024 / Children's House Montessori School - Camden, Maine
12 December 2023 / Waterfall Arts - Belfast, Maine
10 November 2023 / Midwifery Wisdom Conference - Denver, Colorado
21 October 2023 / DONA Conference - Minneapolis, Minnesota
7 October 2023 / Whitefield Library- Whitefield, Maine
28 September 2023 / Virtual Screening - National Midwifery Institute
20 September 2023 / Conference: Maine Families Statewide Home Visiting Program - Freeport, Maine
8 September 2023 Virtual screening and Q&A session on Zoom with Elise and Zulilah
23 August 2023 / Baby Booty Workout Studio- Portland, Maine
31 July 2023 / Virtual screening and Q&A session on Zoom with Elise and Zulilah
25 June 2023 / Virtual screening and Q&A session on Zoom with Elise and Zulilah
13 May 2023 / Kenworthy Performance Art Center - Moscow, Idaho
13 May 2023 / Portland Museum of Art - Portland, Maine
7 May 2023 / Ambler Theatre -Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
26 March 2023 / Filmhuis Zevenaar - Zevenaar, The Netherlands
8 March 2023 / Cinema Amstelveen - Amstelveen, The Netherlands
26 February 2023 / Eveningstar Cinema - Brunswick, Maine (sold out)
15 January 2023 / Eveningstar Cinema - Brunswick, Maine (sold out)
7 January 2023 / The Alamo Theatre - Bucksport, Maine
5 November 2022 / Central Scotland Documentary Festival - Stirling, Scotland
16 October 2022 / New Haven Documentary Festival - New Haven, Connecticut
8 October 2022 / Awareness Festival - Los Angeles, California
1 October 2022 / Rockport Opera House - Rockport, Maine