Experiencing Interruptions?

Mom & M

Mom & M is an intimate portrait of modern American parenthood. Meet Nikki, a transgender writer; Elise, a social media influencer; and Sansa, their adopted daughter who battles leukemia. Together they navigate what happens when your partner comes out as transgender while caring for an ill child and that remission is not the end to life’s challenges. The Richard family offers a deep-seated glimpse of love’s power in surviving extraordinary circumstances.

  • Jena Burchick
    Director
    Dear Country, The Local Oyster Stout
  • Tyler C. Peterson
    Producer
    Summer Hill
  • Jessica Baroody-Saada
    Producer
  • Mei Lin Lau Mann
    Producer
    Plan Bee, Buck
  • Project Type:
    Documentary
  • Runtime:
    1 hour 52 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    August 16, 2020
  • Production Budget:
    20,000 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    United States
  • Country of Filming:
    United States
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    Yes
  • Student Project:
    Yes - Vermont College of Fine Arts
Director Biography - Jena Burchick

Jena Burchick is a two-time Emmy Award winning filmmaker, Assistant Professor in the Electronic Media & Film department at Towson University and an IATSE 487 studio mechanic. She received her B.S in Electronic Media & Film from Towson University and her MFA in Film from Vermont College of Fine Arts. Her current research is focused in documentary and docu-narrative filmmaking. Her films explore the complexities of family dynamics and community relationships while investigating themes related to gender, sexuality, trauma and marginalization.

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Director Statement

A film about choosing family over everything.

I made this film because Hollywood statistically limits or silences the voices of minorities and often times uses cisgender actors to falsely represent transgender narratives. It is vital now, more than ever, that minority voices are heightened. That they are not just visible, but that they shine.

When I became a film professor, I met an incredibly talented young student who happened to be transgender. I was invited into his living room and into his story. This taught me that my mission in documentary filmmaking could and should come with ally-ship through empathy and activism.

Fast forward to when I met Nikki, Elise and Sansa: I knew immediately that the world would be a better place by meeting them. They selflessly came on-board this journey nearly two years ago and invited me into their living room, to share their lives. Through this film they consistently depict a theme very near to the hearts of many; that family is more than blood, it is a choice.