Join the Birth Rites Collection for the premiere of 'Come Home', a documentary film by Marta Stysiak.

Exploring core themes of young motherhood and the mother-daughter relationship, ‘Come Home’ is the story of a young Polish mother. The film follows 16-year-old Victoria’s journey into motherhood, documenting her turbulent relationship with her own mother and her experiences as her two-week-old son is removed to foster care and she is unable to visit him.

What happens to a mother who is deprived of her motherhood? Set against the background of the Polish juvenile re-socialisation programme, 'Come Home' questions society's perceptions of young mothers and asks: what more can be done to support them?

When making 'Come Home' Marta Stysiak spent time in-situ with the midwifery department at King's College London online, attending relevant classes, holding workshops with students and interviewing and filming members of staff and students around the subjects of young mothers, mental health and incarceration.

The 50-minute film screening will be followed by a Q&A session with Marta Stysiak, Dr Elsa Montgomery and Professor Louise Howard.

Click here to download the e-flyer for ‘Come Home’

The event is free but registration is required via EventBrite. 

Birth Rites Collection

The Birth Rites Collection is the first and only collection of contemporary artwork dedicated to the subject of childbirth. The collection currently comprises of photography, sculpture, painting, wallpaper, drawing, new media, documentary and experimental film. It is hosted by the Department of Midwifery, part of the Florence Nightingale Faculty of Nursing, Midwifery & Palliative Care at King’s College London. The collection is displayed across Guy’s Campus in New Hunt's House, the Chantler SaIL Clinical Skills Centre, the Henriette Raphael Building and the Hodgkin Building.