| Baby God | |
|---|---|
 Official poster | |
| Directed by | Hannah Olson |
| Produced by | Hannah Olson |
| Cinematography | Justin Zweifach |
| Edited by | Toby Shimin |
| Music by | Will Epstein |
Production companies |
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| Distributed by | HBO |
Release dates |
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Running time | 78 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
Baby God is a 2020 Americandocumentary film, directed and produced byHannah Olson, which follows Quincy Fortier, a doctor whoused his own sperm to inseminate fertility patients.Heidi Ewing andRachel Grady were executive producers under their Loki Films banner.
It had its world premiere at theNantucket Film Festival on June 23, 2020, and was released on December 2, 2020, byHBO.
Quincy Fortier, in afertility fraud scheme begun in the 1960s, for more than 30 years secretly used his own sperm to inseminate his fertility patients, without their knowledge or consent. Decades later, his biological children discover Fortier is their father and search for answers.[1]
Olson discovered the story after hearing about a doctor using his own sperm to inseminate his fertility patients, and brought it toHeidi Ewing andRachel Grady who agreed to produce the film, and brought it toHBO Documentary Films who agreed to produce and distribute.[2] Olson felt the story was relevant in the context ofMe Too movement and felt it was time to reframe the US fertility industry to a public health concern.[3]
The film was set to have its world premiere atSouth by Southwest in March 2020, however, the festival was cancelled due to theCOVID-19 pandemic.[4][5] The film had its world premiere at theNantucket Film Festival on June 23, 2020.[6][7] It also screened atDOC NYC on November 11, 2020.[8][9] It was released on December 2, 2020.[10]
Baby God holds a 79% approval rating on the review aggregator websiteRotten Tomatoes, based on 14 reviews, with an average of 7.2/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "Baby God is unavoidably nauseating as it unearths a heinous legacy, but Hannah Olson's sensitive study of the victims gives this documentary a worthwhile poignancy."[11]