Films

 

Film can offer another way to explore adoption, identity, family, Korean history, and the experiences of Korean and transracial adoptees. The selections below include documentaries, personal stories, and narrative films that may be of interest to adoptees, families, and anyone seeking to learn more.

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• Adopted

  • A documentary following two families at different stages of transracial adoption, including an adult Korean adoptee reflecting on identity and her relationship with her adoptive family.​

• My Brown Eyes

  • ​A short film about a Korean immigrant boy experiencing his first day of school in the United States.

• Closure

  • A documentary following transracial adoptee Angela Tucker as she searches for and reconnects with members of her birth family.​

• Crossing Chasms by Jennifer Arndt, Maven Productions

  • Filmmaker and Korean adoptee Jennifer Arndt-Johns explores the experiences of Korean adoptees living in Korea while also documenting her own search for her birth family.​

• Finding Seoul

  • A documentary following Korean adoptee John Sanvidge as he returns to Korea and explores questions of identity, belonging, and connection to his country of birth.​

• First Person Plural

  • Filmmaker Deann Borshay Liem examines her Korean adoption, two families, and questions of race, assimilation, cultural identity, and belonging.​

• Geographies of Kinship

  • A documentary exploring the history of international adoption from South Korea through the experiences of four adult Korean adoptees returning to their country of birth.​

• Korean American Story

  • A collection of personal stories preserving and sharing the diverse experiences of Korean Americans.​

• Outside Looking In: Transracial Adoption In America

  • A documentary examining transracial adoption through the experiences of adoptees and families, with particular attention to racial identity and the challenges of raising children across racial lines.​

• Resilience

  • A documentary following a Korean birth mother and her adult son, who was adopted to the United States, as they try to build a relationship after being separated for 30 years.​

• Sa-I-Gu

  • A documentary centered on Korean American women reflecting on the 1992 Los Angeles uprising and its impact on their families and communities.​

• Seoul Train

  • A documentary about North Korean refugees attempting to escape through China and the activists working to help them reach safety.​

• sideXside project

  • An oral-history and documentary project preserving first-person stories from Korean adoptees around the world.​

• Silence Broken: Korean Comfort Women

  • A documentary centered on the testimonies of Korean women who were forced into sexual slavery by the Japanese military during World War II.​

• Somewhere Between

  • A documentary following four teenage girls adopted from China as they explore race, identity, family, and growing up as transracial adoptees in the United States.​

• Tie a Yellow Ribbon

  • A narrative film about a Korean adoptee living in New York City who struggles with family relationships, Asian American identity, belonging, and unresolved experiences from her childhood.​

• Unlocking the Heart of Adoption

  • A documentary exploring adoption through the perspectives of adoptees, birth parents, and adoptive families.​

• Vincent Who?

  • A documentary examining the 1982 murder of Vincent Chin in Detroit and its role in the development of Asian American civil rights activism.​

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K-Drama Series

 

For those interested in Korean dramas and other Korean-language entertainment, these streaming services offer a variety of Korean television and film content.

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• Viki

• AsianCrush

• OnDemandKorea

• Netflix