2025 Selections: Feature FILMS
Between Goodbyes (2025)
Directed by Jota Mun
When a queer Korean adoptee visits her original mother in Seoul, long-held regrets and cultural misunderstandings come to the surface alongside tenderness, humor, and tenacity.
Jota will be joining us live in NYC for a Q&A moderated by Adaline Bara (Features Committee Member) following the 11/02 screening.
Il Mio Posto a Tavola - My Place at the Table (2025)
Directed by Tracy Schott
Rescued as a baby from an orphanage and adopted by his Italian-American parents, Santo D. Marabella returns to Aosta, Italy, a lifetime later to reconcile the feelings that have stopped him from finding his place at the table.
Santo will be joining us live in NYC for a Q&A moderated by Christian Scanlon-Corona (Los Angeles Events Lead) following the 11/04 screening.
Because She's Adopted (2025)
Directed by James Alton
Kristal Parke, a Cree adoptee from the West Coast of Canada, must come to terms with the complicated reality of her adoption. She embarks on a journey to find the missing pieces but when tragedy strikes, her grief yields a new reality.
Kristal will be joining us live in NYC for a Q&A moderated by Sullivan Summer (Features Committee Member) following the 11/04 screening.
2025 Selections: SHORT FILMS
Mary Meet Grace (2021)
Directed by Faryl Amadeus
When a stranger appears in Grace's life with disturbing news about her long-lost birth mother, she must fight to untangle herself from a dangerous and sinister plan.
Faryl will be joining us live in Los Angeles for the 11/20 shorts screening.
The Goldfish (2021)
Directed by Ashley Brim
An adopted woman is forced to confront her darkest fear about motherhood at her sister’s baby shower.
Ashley will be joining us live in Los Angeles for the 11/20 shorts screening.
Yellow Balloon (2025)
Directed by Summer Luu
In 1996, a Vietnamese-American kid named Ái Vân from San Jose, California is adopted by their paternal immigrant grandparents in Vancouver, Washington. On their journey, Ái Vân processes their identity, the unspoken rules of complex social dynamics and discovers the reality of letting go.
Summer will be joining us live in NYC for the 11/06 shorts screening.
In Transl*tion (2025)
Directed by Erika Lau
A linguist reflects on their childhood, tracing the names and stories that have shaped their identity. Through language and memory, they navigate their transnational adoptee experience and emotional complexities.
One Of My Own (2024)
Directed by Analei Song (Turnbull)
When a young Chinese girl becomes more aware of her differences in her adopted caucasian family, she attempts to find her place of belonging with others and herself through artistic expression.
What Remains (2025)
Directed by Dariun Robinson
As Mark waits for a phone call from his daughter, he begins to suspect that his in-home care nurse is keeping something from him. While they both struggle with his cognitive decline, they must discover what family looks like in the face of Alzheimer's.
Elizabeth Berkman (lead actress and story inspiration) will be joining us live in NYC for the 11/05 & 11/06 shorts screenings.