Birth Parent Searching and Reuniting with Biological Relatives: A Reflection on “Found”

What do you think about “Found” and other films like it? How does it feel to watch films or read articles about adoptees who reunite with biological relatives? How do they affect your personal perspective on searching for relatives?

What motivates some adoptees to search for biological relatives, and what factors influence others’ decisions not to?

How do adoptees’ families respond to their decision to search?

What are the potential emotional impacts of searching, and then either reuniting with a relative or coming up empty-handed?

Join FCCNY to reflect on all these questions and more in the context of the recently released documentary “Found.” We will have one hour of separate adoptee-only and parent-only discussion, followed by an optional half hour of adoptee+parent joint discussion. The purpose of this format is to offer both a safe space for adoptees alone and a shared space for adoptive parents and adoptees to understand each others' perspectives.

“Found” is available to watch on Netflix: https://www.netflix.com/title/81476857. The documentary follows three Chinese-American adoptees who find out that they are cousins through DNA testing and travel to China to search for their birth parents and learn more about their pasts. Watching the film before the event is recommended but not required, as we will be discussing themes within but broader than the film itself.

 *Note: This event is free for FCCNY members, and we ask for a $10 donation from non-members. Young adult adoptees can register as FCCNY members free of charge.

Email any questions about the event to alrabruzzo@gmail.com