SOMEWHERE BETWEEN examines what it is like to come-of-age as a trans-racial adoptee in today’s America, as seen through the eyes of four of the 79,562 adopted girls from China. Follow the experiences of 15 year old Fang “Jenni” from Berkeley, CA; 13 year old Haley from NAshville, TN; 14 year old Ann from Lansdale, PA; and 15 year old Jenna from Newburyport, PA. Through the voices of these young women, we will see not just their lives, but our own, reflected back to us – whether we are adoptive families or not. SOMEWHERE BETWEEN will start a dialogue about what we see, who we are, and the changing face of the American family.

Here’s more from the director:

The primary themes of Somewhere Between are identity formation, family, adoption and race. And really, the film focuses on the intersection of all of these through the coming-of-age of four girls. As they discover who they are, so do we. Through their specific stories, we, as viewers, will come to understand on a deeper level, the meaning of family, and our still prevalent cultural disconnects around stereotyping and race—whether we are adoptive families or not.

I hope the film will create an emotional experience for the audience, and in the process, educate and help create a language around being “other” in the U.S. I also hope the film will reveal how we all form our identities, and our growing global and personal interconnections (especially around the networks of women and girls that have been formed due to this large wave of adoptions.)

While all adoptees face similar feelings and challenges, I believe this wave of Chinese girls is in a category all its own – due to the sheer number of children involved, and because the adoptions (and abandonments) are based solely on gender. The personal, societal and cultural ramifications are significant.

Also see these other adoption documentaries: Wo Ai Ni Mommy, In the Matter of Cha Jung Hee, andResilience.

Somewhere Between documentary trailer

Here’s an interesting project looking for funding called “Breathin’: The Eddy Zheng Story,” which is directed by Ben Wang (Aoki documentary film). After serving over 20 years behind bars for a robbery he committed at age 16, Chinese American community leader Eddy Zheng now faces deportation to China, a huge loss to the San Francisco Bay Area community. Released from prison in 2007, Eddy has dedicated his life to preventing youth violence and delinquency through his work at the Community Youth Center, Community Response Network, and many other SF Bay Area programs and organizations.

BREATHIN’: THE EDDY ZHENG STORY is a documentary about one of the most visible Asian American leaders to emerge from the prison system. Providing a complex and honest portrayal of its subject, the film will highlight a critical human rights issue facing the U.S. today: the alarming increase of Asian immigrants and refugees being incarcerated and deported.

This project will share Eddy’s personal journey from immigrant youth to politicized prisoner, and ultimately valued mentor and community leader as he faces pending deportation to a land he has not known for over 30 years. BREATHIN’ will feature footage of Eddy’s work in youth violence prevention and prisoner support efforts, as well as candid interviews with Eddy and his close circle. The film will share his personal struggle toward redemption and reveal the complicated fate ahead for the growing population of Asian immigrants and refugees in prison.

Learn more and help fund this project here.

Help fund Breathin’: The Eddy Zheng Story

ASIAN AMERICANS IN PRISON
The U.S. currently imprisons over 2.3 million people, making it the world’s leading jailer. Contrary to notions of a “model minority,” the Asian and Pacific Islander American prison population grew 250% between 1990 and 2000. Unfortunately for many immigrants, all “non-citizen aliens” who commit an aggravated felony or crime of moral turpitude are mandatorily deportable, even if they immigrated to the U.S. legally or with refugee status. Between 1998 and 2006, there was a 61.6% rise in total deportations of people of Asian nationalities. Despite the growing trend of incarceration and deportation for many Asian Americans, these individuals have largely remained invisible in public policy, media, and in their own communities.