Moms First founded by Indian American activist Reshma Saujani to fight for moms and policies like paid leave and affordable child care, is releasing a documentary on American motherhood to premiere around Mother’s Day 2026.
The film exposes the history and forces behind today’s most pervasive cultural myths – from girlboss hustle to the trad-wife revival – and seeks to reveal a path to uniting mothers across political division, according to a media release.
Blending investigative storytelling, historical context, and firsthand stories from mothers across the country, the film explores how motherhood became a cultural flashpoint, it says.
From postwar propaganda to today’s culture wars, it unpacks the economic policies, media myths, and social fault lines that have defined American motherhood and reveals opportunities for mothers to find common ground, according to the release.
“For too long, we’ve told moms that if they just work harder, lean in more, or buy the right products, they can have it all,” said Saujani, founder and CEO of Moms First and executive producer of the film. “This documentary exposes the truth: the system was never built for mothers to thrive. We’re done pretending it’s an individual problem—it’s a national crisis.”
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“We don’t offer mothers the support structures they need, and women are struggling because we’re being made to feel alone and isolated and judged,” Saujani told Forbes.“When I started Moms First, our focus was really around passing paid leave. In many ways women didn’t even know that they deserved that, because for so long we told them it was their personal problem to figure out.”
“I learned from making this film that it’s important to understand the historical context of why American motherhood is a battleground,” she said. “You might think from scrolling Instagram this is the first time we’ve had a trad wife versus girlboss dichotomy, but we’ve long had these intentionally-created divisions between binary choices that keep women from realizing it doesn’t have to be one or the other.”
Ahead of the premiere, Moms First will launch a nationwide impact campaign to turn awareness into action, with community screenings, digital storytelling.
Moms can join the movement by becoming an Associate Producer—sharing their story, pledging to host a screening, or contributing to help bring the film to communities nationwide. Moms First aims to set a new Guinness World Record for the most Associate Producers ever credited in a film.
“This film belongs to every mother in America,” said Saujani. “We want moms everywhere—working moms, stay-at-home moms, single moms, church moms—to see themselves in it and to be part of the movement that changes what it means to be a mother in this country.”
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Following its premiere, Moms First will take the film on a cross-country tour, with screenings hosted by community leaders and Associate Producers in towns, schools, churches, and theaters across the U.S., sparking local conversations and connecting culture to action.
“As a mom of two small boys, this is deeply personal for me,” said Director Raeshem Nijhon. “We need a systemic and cultural overhaul in how we honor and support motherhood in this country — and this film is my contribution to help make that change through pop culture.”
The film is produced by Emmy-nominated Culture House Media, the production company behind critically acclaimed series like “The Hair Tales” and “Black Twitter” on Hulu and “Ladies First: A History of Women in Hip-hop” on Netflix.
It’s produced in partnership with French Tuck Media, the production company founded by Queer Eye star Tan France and Moms First, the national non-profit organization using media to educate and mobilize millions of moms.