9-Month Contract

The winner of the Human Rights Award at CPH:DOX (Copenhagen) exposes the unregulated and illegal surrogacy industry in Tbilisi, Georgia. Over the course of several years, Ketevan Vashagashvili filmed countless hours of the harsh lives of the uneducated single mother Zhana and her daughter Elene. The 29-year-old woman struggles with poverty, a dead-end job in an ordinary supermarket, huge personal sacrifices and ethical dilemmas, all while hoping for a better future for her daughter. Zhana is running out of options to avoid homelessness, so she secretly accepts a surrogate pregnancy for payment, despite her deteriorating health. Elene is old enough to understand why her mother’s belly is growing again. Having been screened at more than ten festivals, this sorrowful yet honest and tender documentary delivers a rare, authentic glimpse into a devoted mother’s quest to protect her daughter from a similar fate at any cost.