Earth Mama

Earth Mama is a 2023 drama film directed and written by Savanah Leaf, based on the short film The Heart Still Hums by Leaf and Taylor Russell.^[5][3] It was released theatrically in the United States on July 7, 2023, by A24 and in the United Kingdom on December 8, 2023, by We Are Parable.^[6][7][1] It won the Outstanding British Debut award at the 2024 BAFTAs and was named one of the top 10 independent films of 2023 by the National Board of Review.^[8]

Earth Mama
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Savanah Leaf
Written by	Savanah Leaf
Based on	The Heart Still Hums by Savanah Leaf and Taylor Russell
Produced by	Cody Ryder Shirley O’Connor Medb Riordan Sam Bisbee Savanah Leaf
Starring	Tia Nomore Erika Alexander Doechii Sharon Duncan-Brewster Keta Price Olivia Luccardi Dominic Fike Bokeem Woodbine
Cinematography	Jody Lee Lipes
Edited by	George Cragg
Music by	Kelsey Lu
Production companies	A24 Film4 Academy Films Park Pictures
Distributed by	A24 (United States) We Are Parable[1] (United Kingdom)
Release dates	January 20, 2023 (2023-01-20) (Sundance) July 7, 2023 (2023-07-07) (United States) December 8, 2023 (2023-12-08) (United Kingdom)
Running time	101 minutes[2]
Countries	United States United Kingdom[3]
Language	English
Box office	$6,406[4]

Premise

A pregnant single mother, with two children in foster care, embraces her Bay Area community as she fights to reclaim her family.

Cast

• Tia Nomore as Gia^[9]
• Erika Alexander as Miss Carmen^[9]
• Keta Price as Mel^[9]
• Doechii as Trina^[9]
• Sharon Duncan-Brewster as Monica^[9]
• Bokeem Woodbine as Paul^[9]
• Olivia Luccardi as Alexis^[9]
• Dominic Fike as Miles^[9]

Release

Earth Mama had its world premiere at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival on January 20, 2023. The film was released in the United States by A24 on July 7, 2023.

Reception

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 97% of 58 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 7.7/10. The website's consensus reads: "Heavy yet hopeful, Earth Mama is a moving look at single motherhood on the margins that features outstanding work from writer-director Savanah Leaf and star Tia Nomore."^[10] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 84 out of 100, based on 24 critics, indicating "universal acclaim".^[11]

Ronda Racha Penrice of TheWrap praised the film, noting first-time director Savanah Leaf's "ability to transmit great emotional depth in small snapshots."^[12] Lovia Gyarkye of The Hollywood Reporter described it as "a quiet film, but it never once loosens its grip," and that it "operates on an intimate register, a level that speaks to its characters instead of about them."^[13]

Accolades

Award	Date of ceremony	Category	Recipient(s)	Result	Ref.
British Academy Film Awards	February 18, 2024	Outstanding Debut by a British Writer, Director or Producer	Savanah Leaf, Shirley O'Connor, Medb Riordan	Won	[14]
British Independent Film Awards	December 3, 2023	Best Lead Performance	Tia Nomore	Nominated	[15]
		Best Casting	Salome Oggenfuss, Geraldine Barón, and Abby Harri	Nominated
		Douglas Hickox Award (Best Debut Director)	Savanah Leaf	Won
Independent Spirit Awards	February 25, 2024	Best First Feature	Savanah Leaf	Nominated	[16]
		Best Breakthrough Performance	Tia Nomore	Nominated
National Board of Review	December 6, 2023	Top Ten Independent Films	Earth Mama	Won	[17]
San Francisco Bay Area Film Critics Circle	January 9, 2024	Special Citation for Independent Cinema	Earth Mama	Won	[18]