Donor Unknown
Donor Unknown is a documentary feature following the journey of JoEllen Marsh as she goes in search of the sperm donor father she only knows as Donor 150.
Directed by Jerry Rothwell, whose previous films include the award-winning feature documentaries Deep Water and Heavy Load, Donor Unknown has been selected by festivals worldwide including the Tribeca Film Festival and will be released in UK cinemas in early June.
JoEllen, now 20, has always known her family ‘wasn't like other families'. She grew up in Pennsylvania with two mothers, and a burning curiosity to know more about her anonymous donor father. When JoEllen discovers a unique online registry which connects donor-conceived children, she manages to track down a half-sister in New York.
The New York Times picks up the story, and, over time 12 more half-siblings emerge across the United States. The article also falls into the hands of Jeffrey Harrison, living alone with four dogs and a pigeon in a broken-down RV in a Venice Beach car park.
In the 1980s, Jeffrey supplemented his meagre incoming by becoming a sperm donor at California Cryobank. His number was Donor 150.
Donor Unknown is a uniquely 21st century story. The connections made between the children and their donor dad draw as much on modern technology as on old-fashioned coincidence.
While the siblings seem to take their ever-expanding family in their stride, Jeffrey is more apprehensive about meeting some of his biological children for the first time. Funny, moving and surprising Donor Unknown raises intriguing questions about our understanding of parenthood, and the strange power of our genetic connections.
For Director Jerry Rothwell, the idea had an immediate appeal. "I was drawn to this story because it seemed to me that, through an astonishing set of coincidences, Jeffrey and his children were dealing with some of the big human dilemmas posed by the rapid advances in reproductive technology.
"There are two kinds of journey in the film: those of the children looking for their genetic inheritance, and that of Jeffrey discovering a new family of strangers. Both are pioneering new kinds of family connection."
Donor Unknown is a co-production between two award-winning companies. The Producer for Redbird is Hilary Durman who originally made contact with Jeffrey Harrison while developing All About Me, a BBC drama about a donor-conceived teenager.
Previous Redbird productions include The Shooting Party for Channel 4, The Time of Their Lives for BBC Storyville/UKFC, and, currently, Casablanca Calling. Met Film Producer AL Morrow’s previous films include Sync or Swim aka Men Who Swim and Jerry Rothwell’s previous films Heavy Load and Deep Water.
Jonny Persey of Met Film is Executive Producer of Donor Unknown. Dr Allan Pacey from the University of Sheffield is the scientific adviser for the film.
Donor Unknown was commissioned by More 4 for True Stories, Arte France and VPRO, with funding from Sundance Documentary Fund, the Gucci Tribeca Documentary Fund, Cinereach, NRK (Norway) and Yes (Israel).
Alongside the film’s release, there will be a programme of outreach screenings and special events supported by the Wellcome Trust.
Donor Uknown will be released in UK cinemas in early June and will be screened on More4 on 28 June, followed by release on DVD in July 2011