MIPTV Picks 2013: Racial Hygiene

This film travels from America to Europe to tell the harrowing and heartbreaking stories of tens of thousands of forced sterilizations that were part of eugenics programs.

March 1, 2013

HISTORY

Partners: Senso Films and Geppert Productions in association with TV Tours Val de Loire, LCP National Assembly, RTBF and Blue Ant Media; distributed by ZED

Length: 1 x 52 minutes; 1 x 90 minutes

Premiered: November 2012 (France)

Rights available: Worldwide

The concept of eugenics is often associated with Nazism and its horrifying quest for “racial purification.” However, the practice actually began in the U.S., at the beginning of the 20th century, with the first eugenics laws coming into effect there as early as 1907, and remaining on the books until the 1970s. This film travels from America to Europe to tell the harrowing and heartbreaking stories of tens of thousands of forced sterilizations behind the pursuit of the twisted notion of “good birth.”