There is a city in Southern California that is teeming with pregnant women from China. How to Have an American Baby is a kaleidoscopic voyage into the shadow economy catering to Chinese tourists who travel to the US to give birth for citizenship. Told through a series of intimately observed vignettes, the story of a hidden global economy emerges–depicting the fortunes and tragedies that befall the ordinary people caught in its web.

DIRECTOR/WRITER: Leslie Tai

PRODUCERS: Leslie Tai, Elivia Shaw, Jillian Schultz, Yan Cong, Xinyi ‘Leila‘ Lin, Chocho Tang

EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS: Laura Poitras, Charlotte Cook, Erika Dilday, Esther Robinson, Chris White

LENGTH:  117 minutes

LANGUAGES: English, Mandarin

COUNTRY: United States

GENRE: Documentary

Featured Community Partner: American Gateways