Tonya Lewis Lee is a director, producer, and writer whose work through storytelling often explores the personal impact of social justice issues such as civil rights and criminal justice.

Paula Eiselt directs and produces feature films about unforgettable characters thriving in unbelievable circumstances. Her passion for verité storytelling about fearless trailblazers fighting for change resulted in the award-winning film “93Queen.”

“Aftershock” is screening at the 2022 Sundance Film Festival, which is running online from January 20-30. More information can be found on the fest’s website.

W&H: Describe the film for us in your own words.

TLL: “Aftershock” is a documentary film about two families who find each other through grief and sadness, collectively turning their pain into power and action. Their journey takes us through what it is to endure the United States maternal mortality crisis while working to change it for the better.

PE: “Aftershock” intimately explores the injustices behind the U.S. maternal health crisis through the lived experiences of surviving families fighting for change, an empowered couple’s journey through the American birth system, and the little-known history of how we got here. It’s a story about the devastating ripple effect of losing one mother while also offering a glimpse of what it could look like if birthing people were given the care and dignity they deserve.

W&H: What drew you to this story?

TLL: I was drawn to telling the story about the U.S. maternal mortality crisis after working as an advocate for women and children’s health. In 2009, I produced “Crisis in the Crib,” a film about the rate of infant mortality in the United States for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Minority Health.

Soon after making that film, I began hearing about the high rate of maternal death or near death from childbirth complications. Also, as an advocate I have had the opportunity to speak with groups of women across the country about women’s health, and in conversation with those women, usually someone would mention the death of a friend, sister, aunt, or cousin from childbirth complications.

What emerged to me was the fact that we, as Black women, were talking about the crisis before the general public was aware and before the data proved what we were discussing. I saw the impact on our communities and wanted to give voice to those suffering and to those fighting to improve the outcomes. And I know storytelling is how you change hearts and minds, and make lasting impact.

PE: I was initially drawn to the topic of maternal health due to my own traumatic pregnancy and birth experiences. Then, at the end of 2017, I started to read a slew of investigative articles published by ProPublica about the abysmal rise of U.S. maternal mortality and morbidity, and the racial disparities driving up those numbers.

I realized that what I experienced in the maternal health system was not uncommon and that Black women were most profoundly affected. I knew I wanted to help shed light on this crisis by finding the right partner — who I found in Tonya Lewis Lee — to work with to uplift the trailblazing work and lived experiences of the women most affected by the crisis.

However, a topic is not a cinematic story. People tell stories. So, it wasn’t until I met the illustrious Shawnee Benton Gibson that I knew there was actually a film here. Shawnee’s love, perseverance, and activism on behalf of her daughter, Shamony Gibson, and the countless other women she is fighting for, was our film’s guiding light.

W&H: What do you want people to think about after they watch the film?

TLL: In general, when I make a film it is my hope that people engage in lively conversation. “Aftershock” does not have all of the answers, but it does present a problem about which our entire nation should be outraged: the poor United States maternal health outcomes.

In order to create a more equitable health care system that ensures all women are seen and heard during the labor and birthing process, we need to have lots of good conversations weighing options of all kinds to work towards the United States of America becoming the nation that has the best birthing outcomes in the world for all of its women.

PE: I hope people feel more empowered to make choices around their birthing experiences, and consider how dignity and validation are not icing on the cake, but crucial to good outcomes. I want viewers to be inspired to demand better maternal health care for themselves and others, and understand that it does not have to be this way – we deserve to birth better. There are very attainable solutions to this crisis – it is nowhere near hopeless – and as Helena Grant says in the film, “Women need to take that back.”

I also want viewers to dwell on the history of midwifery in this country, and how the deliberate racist eradication of Black midwives is the reason why we are in crisis today. The segregation of the birthing system itself is something we have not recovered from. Truly rectifying and reconciling with that past is a key to a just and equitable birth system.

W&H: What was the biggest challenge in making the film?

TLL: The obvious big challenge in making a film during the years of 2020 and 2021 is COVID, no question. COVID made us have to think a bit differently in what we shoot and when we shoot. There were scenes and events that we knew would have been more dynamic if they were taking place as they normally would in person.

Instead, we began to live our lives on Zoom, and we knew we could not make a movie filled with Zoom screens. That said, we were strategic in having small crews, traveling when we could, and being creative about getting intimate with the people we follow in film in a healthy way.

PE: We started principal photography in 2020, so it’s not going to come as a surprise that filming individuals as well as in hospitals during the pandemic was our greatest production challenge.

Our greatest editing challenge was balancing multiple storylines, along with supporting our main storylines, with the contextual information in an organic way. Our timeline was also extremely tight – we made this film in a slim two years, including a pandemic, and had to work with incredible speed to make our deadlines under constantly changing circumstances.

W&H: How did you get your film funded? Share some insights into how you got the film made.

TLL&PE: We are extremely fortunate to have amazing funding partners for “Aftershock” that have allowed us to stay truly independent. We are generously supported by a mixture of individual donors, investors, and grant organizations. The first money in was through the Concordia Studio Fellowship. That initial funding allowed for the development of the project that led to the rest of the funding. Sundance Catalyst was then a game-changer for us.

Through our resulting partnership with Catalyst funders and investors, and our pivotal collaboration with Impact Partners and their incredible funders, we were able to raise our budget. We received crucial grants from the Ford Foundation, Just Films, IDA Enterprise Doc Fund, and The American Stories Documentary Fund (sponsored by CNN Films).

W&H: What inspired you to become a filmmaker?

TLL: I was inspired to become a filmmaker to tell stories. From a young age, I loved to read, I loved being in plays, playing the piano, writing. It wasn’t until I was an adult after a career in law that I believed that I could actually make a film. I was excited about the prospect of touching people — making them feel something, ultimately motivating them to do something for the greater good.

In my heart I believe film has the power to shift culture by connecting us all to the universality of the human experience.

PE: I was inspired to become a storyteller when I was child, after learning that my grandparents were Holocaust survivors. I remember looking at the tattooed number on my grandmother’s arm and wanting so much to know the story behind that number. I became fascinated with the stories we tell as families and peoples.

I landed on film specifically when I was in 10th grade after sneaking to watch Darren Aronofsky’s “Requiem for a Dream.” At that point in my life, I had never seen a film quite like that before, and I was mesmerized by the combination of filmic elements that is so starkly apparent in that movie – the camera, the acting, the editing, the score. I knew right then that’s what I wanted to pursue.

W&H: What’s the best and worst advice you’ve received?

TLL: The best advice I’ve ever received was “Do it if that is what you want to do.” I don’t remember the worst advice I’ve received.

PE: The best advice I received came from my mentor Marco Williams. When I was a student at NYU film school, he encouraged me to see what I viewed as limitations as power and what would make me stand out. I channel that sentiment often when obstacles come my way and try to use them to become more creative.

W&H: What advice do you have for other women directors?

TLL: The advice I would give other women directors is to keep working: we need you!

PE: Create and nurture partnerships and collaborations where you feel empowered to be your full self and, in turn, lift up your creative partners to give them their full space to grow. Never shrink or erase parts of yourself to please others – it always backfires and hurts the creative process.

W&H: Name your favorite woman-directed film and why.

TLL: “Daughters of the Dust” by Julie Dash. All these years later I can still see the images of the film, the landscape, the people. That film was beautiful and interesting and touched my senses, and told me it was possible for a woman like me to be a filmmaker.

PE: I don’t have one favorite overall. I have favorite films for different points of my life: Amy Heckerling’s “Clueless,” Kimberly Peirce’s “Boys Don’t Cry,” Jane Campion’s “The Piano,” Catherine Hardwicke’s “Thirteen,” Sofia Coppola’s “The Virgin Suicides,” Rebecca Miller’s “Personal Velocity,” Mary Harron’s “American Psycho,” Vera Chytilová’s “Daisies,” Dee Rees’ “Pariah,” Sarah Polley’s “The Stories We Tell.” Each had profound influences on me at different times. However, the two most recent films that have really stuck with me are Dee Rees’ “Mudbound” and Jane Campion’s “The Power of the Dog.” Dee Rees is a filmmaker I follow closely and whose work always inspires me. The tone, acting and mise-en-scène she directed in “Mudbound” is entrancing – I can still feel the heat and the sticky mud and all that represents in that story and time. Jane Campion is a directorial genius, [especially] her pacing and restraint. The end of the “Power of the Dog” is one of the most satisfying wrap-ups I have seen in a long time.

W&H: How are you adjusting to life during the COVID-19 pandemic? Are you keeping creative, and if so, how?

TLL: I began working on “Aftershock” just before COVID hit the United States. We worked through COVID raising the funds, shooting the film, and working through post production. We were fortunate in that we were able to work with small crews and with many outdoor shoots. For post-production, thankfully we were able to work with our editors and team remotely. Zoom has been a lifesaver.

Personally, I found early in the pandemic that creating a routine and staying on an exercise program and healthy eating really helped to keep me going, focused, and able to work.

PE: Making the bulk of “Aftershock” during the pandemic has been chaotic, but also really helpful in keeping busy and staying creative. It has pushed me to keep moving forward. Although, submitting to Sundance while having Delta was certainly a very memorable experience, and one I would not like to repeat!

W&H: The film industry has a long history of underrepresenting people of color onscreen and behind the scenes and reinforcing — and creating — negative stereotypes. What actions do you think need to be taken to make it more inclusive?

TLL: I think the industry needs to figure out how to reach young people of color and expose them to the opportunities. And then those young people need access to funding as they enter the workforce to support their early years. The barrier to entry is often knowing that it is available, access to connectivity within the industry to find that position, and then the support once you have gotten into the industry.

In other words, the industry needs to invest in the workforce of the future and make sure that it represents what the world looks like. Having people of color on screen and behind the camera is the sound economic business decision given the research that says diverse casts do better at the box office.

PE: Who you create art with matters and directly affects the vision put forth on the screen. Creative teams need to be more inclusive and diverse. Every director and lead artist should commit to ensuring that key creative positions and roles are given to people to people of color. Artists need to stop working inside their silos and create space for new collaborations – working with the same exact people for decades is a form of gatekeeping. Authentic representation on screen can only result from an authentic and constantly renewed creative process.