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Birthgap — global fertility and the timing of parenthood
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The Birthgap Chats

Schedule & tickets

The Birthgap Chats

Schedule & tickets

Now Showing – Birthgap watch party
Now Showing – Join a Birthgap Chats Watch Party

Join a Birthgap watch party to experience extended versions of the film in a shared, scheduled setting, take part in live audience chat, and then hear directly from filmmaker and published data scientist Stephen J. Shaw.

These events are designed as a collective viewing experience — followed by live interaction and discussion. After the screening, Stephen appears live on webcam to reflect on the themes raised and respond to audience questions.

Each event runs for around two hours in total, combining documentary footage with live analysis and Q&A.

Two Live-Streamed Themed Events

Attend one — or experience both for the complete journey.

Each program features extended documentary footage followed by 40–50 minutes of live discussion and audience Q&A with Stephen J. Shaw.

Childless World
Childless World poster
Approx. 1 hr 15 min screening followed by a live-streamed Q & A

A journey of discovery into how falling birthrates became a consistent global pattern, despite widespread focus on local factors. Drawing on cross-continental interviews, visual demographic analysis, and conversations around modern fertility treatment, this event uncovers the deeper structural shift now reshaping societies — one that is set to define the 21st century and beyond.

Chapters included:
  • The Birthgap Trap
  • A Common Coincidence
  • Two Americas, One Trajectory
  • The Wrong Question
  • Life, Unplanned
Broken World
Broken World poster
Approx. 1 hr 10 min screening followed by a live-streamed Q & A

Sustained low fertility carries long-term consequences that many nations may soon confront. Aging societies in Japan and Europe offer a glimpse of what lies ahead, as socio-economic systems stretch beyond the conditions that shaped them. This event explores which responses may prove effective, which are less likely to, and what current research suggests about restoring long-term stability.

Chapters included:
  • Yesterlands
  • Inverted World
  • Retronomics
  • Futurelands
  • Decision Time

The chapters included represent extended versions of sections from the Birthgap feature documentary, incorporating approximately 10 minutes of additional footage in each program.

Upcoming Events

April 2026

The Birthgap Chats: Childless World UK/Europe Themed
Discussion
The Birthgap Chats: Childless World US Themed
Discussion

May 2026

The Birthgap Chats: Broken World UK/Europe Themed
Discussion
The Birthgap Chats: Broken World US Themed
Discussion

Video on Demand

On demand
The Birthgap Chats Free! Childless World US Themed
Discussion
Presented via

The Birthgap Chats: Based on the Feature Documentary Birthgap

The themed screening programs draw from extended chapters of the full-length documentary Birthgap, filmed across more than 20 countries over a nine-year investigation into falling birthrates worldwide.

The film documents a journey to understand why birthrates have been falling for decades across diverse cultures and economies, with little sign of reversal. The research reveals the discovery of a common factor that had long been overlooked and has since been published within the Nature Portfolio.

Birthgap Poster

Birthgap

Written & Directed by: Stephen J. Shaw
Cinematography: Elyse Mueller Cosgrove
Edited by: Jonathan Cipiti
Music by: Nick Wood
Runtime: 1 hour 58 minutes
Filmed across: 24 countries

Festival Recognition: Selected twice for the New York Chelsea Film Festival (2020, 2021) during production.

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