September 26, 2013

Girl, Adopted

There’s been a great deal of media buzz and discussion about international adoption recently. Between Putin outlawing US and foreign adoptions in Russia, leaving hundreds of adoptions stranded in limbo, to increased exposure about unethical adoption practices in countries like China and Ethiopia, it has become very clear that we need to take a closer look at the system and the children and families being affected by it.

Girl, Adopted is a new film from ITVS about 13 year-old Weynsht who has been adopted from Ethiopia  into a family in Arkansas. The documentary follows the young teen as she struggles to make a life in her new home, and how she makes sense of this all on a trip back to Ethiopia. The film takes an unbiased perspective, focusing instead of Weynsht’s journey and the honest storytelling of what a real adoption journey is like for a teenage girl going through it in the moment.

Most importantly, the film seeks to answer the question, “What is it like to get everything you need but to lose everything you know?”

The film airs on September 29. Visit this website to check local listing times in your area.