NüVoices Podcast: ‘How to Have an American Baby’ with documentary filmmaker Leslie Tai

Credit: PBS

Our first NüVoices podcast of 2024 is out! I spoke with filmmaker Leslie Tai about her new documentary, How to Have an American Baby (now streaming on PBS) which follows the fortunes and tragedies of Chinese tourists seeking U.S. citizenship for their newborns.

Our conversation explores the intricate dynamics of trust-building with the women at the heart of the film, the challenges of maintaining detachment in the face intensely private moments, and the filmmaking process as a whole.

We also touch on the evolving landscape of birth tourism post-Trump and amid the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as the tensions between these women and the adjacent American communities, and the complex intersections between these very different worlds.

Listen to the NüVoices podcast via browser, Apple, Spotify, or Google. How to Have an American Baby is streaming on PBS until March 10th, 2024.

Grateful to NüVoices producer Saga Ringmar and editor Megan Cattel for working their production magic on this episode.