LEAVE is a narrative short film about Dani, Head of People at an AI startup, who quietly manages new mothers out of the company until Child Protective Services arrives at her office with her 18-month-old niece and nowhere else to place her. Forced to choose between the job that defines her and a child who needs her, Dani is confronted with the same impossible choices she has long expected other working caregivers to navigate.
Grounded in extensive research with women leaders across the technology industry, LEAVE asks what happens when a system optimized for efficiency collides with the realities of care. Produced under a professional SAG-AFTRA agreement, the film will reach audiences through festivals and free community screenings designed to spark conversations about work, caregiving, and the human consequences of workplace policies.