Projects Supported
UNTITLED EGG-FREEZING DOCUMENTARY
When Dr. Debra Gook solved the ‘impossible’ problem of freezing human eggs — enabling thousands of women to preserve fertility — her unpatented discovery remained largely unknown. A filmmaker’s own egg freezing journey leads her to the scientist behind the technology.
Directed by Chloe Taylor
Produced by Diana Ward
DEVELOPMENT GRANT
SYNOPSIS
Our documentary reveals the untold story of Dr. Debra Gook, the Australian scientist who revolutionised reproductive medicine by making human egg freezing possible.
In 1989, when the scientific community deemed this impossible, Dr. Gook refused to accept these limitations. Working from Melbourne’s Royal Women’s Hospital, she discovered breakthrough protocols that transformed reproductive medicine from impossibility to routine practice. Her choice not to patent the technology, prioritising widespread access over recognition, left her story largely untold.
Through intimate first-person footage of the director’s own egg freezing journey and a third subject’s crossroads moment with their frozen eggs, we explore how one woman’s scientific breakthrough continues to reshape our understanding of choice, time, and the diverse paths to fulfilment beyond reproduction. The film reveals how Dr. Gook’s discovery opened up new possibilities for women while examining what happens when technology meant to control biological futures teaches deeper lessons about presence and purpose.
Images: Chloe Taylor, Simon J. Walsh