When filmmaker Julia Kots chooses not to have kids and instead donates her frozen eggs, she sets out to document other childless women’s stories. Intertwining their deeply personal testimonies with her own journey, this partially-animated film provides an intimate look at the complex reasons leading more women to opt out of motherhood. By giving voice to those who candidly share their reasons for remaining childfree, Kots’s documentary seeks to explore this taboo yet rising trend that is contributing to declining birth rates across the developed world. The plunging birthrates impact society, from aging populations to immigration policy, making this an urgent issue of our times. The goal of the film is to destroy myths and foster compassion for women’s ownership over childbearing decisions.
I was asked to create an animation for a multi-university project involving Stanford University School of Medicine, the Heidelberg University and Freiburg University in Germany. This video was part of a randomized controlled trial to see if animations could inform people about their diets and how to eat less sodium. I have been invited to be a co-author on the final publication which will happen in the Fall 2025. (Contact: Dr. Maya Adam, madam@stanford.edu)
In 2019 I teamed up with a UCLA student Mansy Kaushink to help with her final project about Alopecia. The Gift of Choice celebrates Alopecia superheroes worldwide: patients, families, physicians and others, reflecting authentic patient experiences throughout the story.
CBA studio