While gay people can now get married in quite a few countries, if they want to add children to their family many still face an uphill struggle (just look at the US judge this week who took a child from its foster parents against all advice, just because those parents were lesbians). The documentary Ghosts of the République set out to look at the journey of two married French men adopt a baby through international surrogacy.

It’s particularly apt to have the doc set in France, as they do not recognise international surrogacy, so children born this way are often considered parent-less and cannot easily become citizens – hence why the title refers to them as being ‘ghosts’.

Director Jonathon Narducci has launched a Kickstarter to get the doc completed, which hopes to raise $58,000.

Here’s the synopsis: ‘Ghosts of the République is a documentary film following the compelling story of a newlywed gay couple in France who are forced to break French law during their journey to have a child. Without support from the government, Nicolas and Aurelien have turned to the U.S. to have a baby through a surrogate. Their surrogate gave birth to a healthy baby girl on October 15th, but the future of their unborn baby’s life is largely unknown.

‘Hand in hand with the stress of bringing their baby back to France, Nicolas and Aurelien must face the very real possibility that their baby will not be recognized as their own, or even as a citizen, when they return home. Will they be recognized as parents? Will they be accepted by society? Or will their child grow up as one of the increasing number of “Ghosts of the Republique”: Children in France who are not recognized by the law. Children with no legal parents. Children who are lost in a system that fails to acknowledge them as part of any family.’

Take a look at the fundraising video below, and if you like what you see, head over to Kickstarter.