“A single mother fights for her life in a sublime drama that defies all cliches.” (IndieWire)
Potently mixing unvarnished naturalism with flourishes of magic realism, Earth Mama is a soul-tugging story of a single mother fighting against the system. Bay Area photo studio assistant Gia, played with tender complexity by Oakland rapper Tia Nomore, has two kids in foster care and is pregnant again. Her days are spent negotiating bureaucratic labyrinths and barely keeping her head above water. As her latest birth approaches, she warms towards a white family keen for an adoption, but Gia wrestles with searing guilt. Non-judgmental and ultimately hopeful, Earth Mama is guided by its transcendent lead performance and its confident, defiant direction from former Olympian Savanah Leaf.
“Earth Mama is an unflinching, authentic portrait of when motherhood, sisterhood, and womanhood converge with class and race.” (RogerEbert.com)
“Nomore offers a performance that transcends theatrical delivery to realize a presence, an incarnation – of a character, of the world she inhabits, of the living history she embodies.” (The New Yorker)
“A rich and precious portrait of black motherhood.” (The Hollywood Reporter)
“Learn the names Savanah Leaf first-time feature filmmaker, and Tia Nomore, first-time feature actress, right now, because their debut film Earth Mama is a shimmering stunner.” (IndieWire)