In the U.S., 1 in 4,800 women die in childbirth. In Nigeria it
is 1 in 18. In the one-hour documentary, The Edge of Joy,
filmmaker Dawn Sinclair Shapiro closely follows an ensemble cast
of Nigerian doctors, nurses, midwives and religious leaders as
they battle the second highest maternal mortality rate in the
world.  The Edge of Joy is a character-driven, cinematic
expedition, ranging from deep within Nigeria's semi-arid lands
of the isolated Islamic north to the lush savannas of the
volatile Christian south. Inside a maternity ward, the film
chronicles distressed labors, deaths, and miraculous survival.
Outside, lack of blood supply, transportation and family
planning are examined as causes of the cycle that kills more
than 36,000 Nigerian women a year. Through unprecedented access
to antenatal visits, labor and delivery, family planning
counseling, rural health seminars, and reproductive health
training for Islamic leaders, this unique film captures the
dramatic story of pregnancy and childbirth in Nigeria.