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Reshma Saujani's nonprofit Moms First announces historic documentary
Saujani said the film aims to confront long-standing structural barriers that have defined mothers’ lives for decades.
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Malvika Choudhary - Mon, 01, Dec 2025
- 16:20 EST
- 16
Reshma Saujani with her son / X (reshmasaujani)
Moms First, the national nonprofit founded by Indian American activist Reshma Saujani, has announced a groundbreaking feature documentary on American motherhood, set to premiere around Mother’s Day 2026.
The film traces how cultural narratives—from post-war domestic propaganda to current debates over “girlboss” ambition and the “trad wife” revival—have shaped expectations of mothers and contributed to political division around family, gender, and work.
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Emmy-nominated Culture House Media, Tan France's French Tuck Media, and Moms First produce the project, under the direction of Raeshem Nijhon. Executive producers include Saujani, France, Donna MacLetchie, Nicole Galovski, and Carri Twigg, with Lauren Cynamon and Ashley York producing.
According to the production team, the documentary blends investigative reporting, archival history, and firsthand accounts from mothers across the United States to examine how motherhood became a cultural flashpoint shaped by economic policies, media portrayals, and shifting social values.
Saujani said the film aims to confront long-standing structural barriers that have defined mothers’ lives for decades. “For too long, we’ve told moms that if they just work harder, lean in more, or buy the right products, they can have it all,” she said.
“This documentary exposes the truth: the system was never built for mothers to thrive. We’re done pretending it’s an individual problem—it’s a national crisis.” She added that the project is intended to spark a broader conversation that includes working mothers, stay-at-home mothers, single mothers, and faith-based communities.
Nijhon described the project as both personal and political. “As a mom of two small boys, this is deeply personal for me,” she said. “We need a systemic and cultural overhaul in how we honor and support motherhood in this country — and this film is my contribution to help make that change through pop culture,” she added.
Ahead of the release, Moms First will launch a nationwide impact campaign featuring community screenings, digital storytelling, and a grassroots push to involve thousands of Americans as Associate Producers.
The organization said it will seek to set a Guinness World Record for the largest number of Associate Producers credited in a single film.
Following its premiere, the documentary will go on a cross-country tour with screenings in schools, churches, theaters, and community spaces led by local partners and Associate Producers. The tour is intended to connect cultural narratives about motherhood to policy advocacy and local organizing.
The announcement comes as the United States continues to grapple with the lingering effects of the pandemic-era caregiving crisis. Moms First emerged during that period under the name Marshall Plan for Moms, arguing that the mass exit of women from the workforce during COVID-19 exposed structural weaknesses rather than temporary disruptions.
The organization has since pointed to data showing that child-care costs outpace rent in every U.S. state, that many women return to work within weeks of childbirth due to the absence of paid leave, and that more than half of American parents take on debt to cover child-care expenses.
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