The Blessing Way
Dir. Yvette Freeman, 2000, 35mm/color/20 min.

An African-American couple, expecting their first child, have chosen to bring the baby into the world with the assistance of a midwife in the comfort of their own home, incorporating an Americanized African ritual ceremony. When the woman’s sister, a corporate success story, arrives, the two women lock horns over the method of birth. The conflict between conventional medicine and African tradition reaches a climax and results in a very dramatic resolution.

For the past six television seasons, Yvette Freeman has played the role of Nurse Haleh Adams on the acclaimed dramatic series ER. She also played the role of Evelyn Smalley on the sitcom Working. Freeman has extensive stage credits as well. She received an Obie for Best Actress in 1998 for her starring role in Dinah Was. The Blessing Way is her first film project.