Microbirth

Following the natural birth of a newborn child, microbes begin to settle in the body. These organisms are important for the immune system, and the disruption of this process can negatively affect our health, as we host trillions of microbes in our body during our lifetime. The documentary Microbirth shows that we cannot yet fully appreciate the benefit these microbes have on our health. Directors duo Toni Harman and Alex Wakeford interview scientists and professionals from various fields and present their findings with the aid of animations. The documentary introduces some less known fields of science, such as epigenetics, which concerns modifications of gene expression, and microbe studies, which explores the world of organisms within the human body. Human cells comprise only 10% of all the cells found in the human body; the rest are various microorganisms that work together to create a particular kind of ecosystem. Studies show that a majority of the microbiome is created at birth. The directors of the film seek to open a discussion about the unnatural disruption of human birth. According to them, this might negatively affect the future health of the population. (Academia Film Olomouc)