Sarah Paulson boards Baby Doe as executive producer, unveiling chilling cold case

Baby Doe is a documentary film helmed by Jessica Earnshaw, who produced it with Holly Meehl Chapman. Earnshaw also shot the film with Emily Thomas. The documentary had its world premiere on March 7, 2025, at the South by Southwest Film & TV Festival. Here's the official synopsis as per Letterboxd,

At 22, Gail gave birth alone and left her newborn in the woods. Decades later, she’s arrested for murder, despite claiming the baby was stillborn. This documentary explores the fallout when young women cannot accept the reality of an unplanned pregnancy.

Recently, Sarah Paulson has joined it as an executive producer.

Sarah Paulson to serve as an EP on Baby Doe

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Deadline reported that Sarah Paulson has joined the documentary film Baby Doe as an executive producer. Jessica Earnshaw, the director, got interested in the topic of pregnancy denial after reading an article on Emile Weaver's story. The film is based on a real life cold case around denial of pregnancy.

The film is produced under the banner of Impact Partners and Lunamax Films and has also received support from InMaat Foundation and Chicken & Egg Films.

In an official statement, Paulson said:

“I’ve been following Jessica Earnshaw’s work since Jacinta, which profoundly moved me. She brings such humanity and emotional clarity to her subjects, and Baby Doe is no exception. This story is as urgent as it is intimate, and I’m honored to help support its path into the world.”

Earnshaw spoke about having Paulson on board.

“Having Sarah join this project means the world to me. Her belief in the power of telling women’s stories with nuance, complexity, and compassion aligns so deeply with why I made this film. I’m honored to have her partnership as we share Gail’s story.”

Baby Doe is edited by Leah Boatright and George O’Donnell. Besides Paulson, other executive producers of the film include Debbie L. McLeod, Geralyn White Dreyfous, Meadow Fund, Kelsey Koenig, Peggy Case, Jenny Raskin, Tom Meadows, Nathalie Seaver and Jamie Wolf. Meanwhile, Drew Scott, Chris Boeckmann, Erika A. Christensen and InMaat are co-executive producers.

The documentary earned the Best Film award in the Global Health Competition category at the Cleveland International Film Festival. The film is slated to be screened at the forthcoming Sidewalk Film Festival in Birmingham on August 19.

In 2020, Earnshaw directed the documentary film Jacinta which had also earned awards during its festival run.