LOST AND FOUND

TRT: 89mins

Sometimes you don't need to look very far to find what you've been searching for. These shorts give a twist to the age-old story of adoption, and shed light on questions that adoptees—and everyone—can relate to: where have we come from, and where do we belong? From wearing a sari for the first time—in Laura Ingalls Wilder's hometown, nonetheless—to traveling across different continents to find one's family, these films deal with the ever-evolving process of being lost, and found.

In person: Director Sasha Khokha

		CALCUTTA CALLING USA 2004 | 26mins | Video Color DIRECTOR: Sasha Khokha
Adopted and raised by American families, several Indian-born girls travel from hog-farming Minnesota to visit the harsh streets of Calcutta. Their American perspectives suddenly magnified, they find their sense of belonging challenged yet again. The feelings they're faced with are familiar to anyone who has been adopted trans-racially, or indeed to anyone who has ever asked "Where do I belong?"
		MIRACLE MILE USA 2004 | 18mins | 35mm Color | English & Korean w/E.S. DIRECTOR: Dong Hyeuk Hwang
A Korean girl lands in Los Angeles in search of a brother given up for adoption years ago. Could a stranger she meets along the way hold the key to her family mystery? This crisp, color-saturated film will have you wondering which is closer: blood connections, or human?
		ANNIE ONG: LOST AND FOUND Canada 2004 | 45mins | Video Color DIRECTOR: Stefan Randstršm
The short film THE LAST SEVEN DAYS OF ANNIE ONG (SFIAAFF '98) followed Jeanette Loakman, a Singaporean adoptee searching—unsuccesfully—for her birth mother. Years later, Jeanette's birth mother finally finds her via a mention of the film on the Internet. With ANNIE ONG: LOST AND FOUND, Jeanette continues her emotional journey, meeting her birth mother while dealing with her adoptive mother's passive-aggressive fears. In an unexpected turn, the focus now becomes about mother versus mother, with Jeanette trying to share love with everyone involved.

—Lynne Connor