Found is a feature documentary that follows the story of three American teenage girls—each adopted from China—who discover they are blood-related cousins on 23andMe. Their online meeting inspires the young women to confront the burning questions they have about their lost history. When they meet for the first time, they embark on a once in a lifetime journey to China in search of answers.
CREDITS
DIRECTOR: Amanda Lipitz
PRODUCERS: Amanda Lipitz, p.g.a., Anita Gou, p.g.a., Jane Zheng, p.g.a., Jenny Raskin, Jamie Schutz
EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS: Geralyn White Dreyfous, Regina K. Scully Liesl Copland, Barbara Dobkin, Margaret Munzer Loeb, Tracy Chutorian Semler, Ann & Andrew Tisch, Patty Quillin, Lizzie & Jonathan Tisch
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Casey Regan
EDITOR: Penelope Falk
ASSISTANT EDITOR: Anita Yu
MUSIC BY: Toby Chu
IMPACT PRODUCER: Yennie Lee
FEATURING: Lily Bolka, Chloe Lipitz, Sadie Mangelsdorf, Liu Hao
PRESS
“A celebration of female solidarity in the face of enduring marginalization and hardship.”
– The Daily Beast
“For an adoptee, the notion of ‘family’ is so much more complicated and layered than it might be for someone else, but what Found powerfully argues is that within these many layers, there is an abundance of a unique kind of love, and understanding, to be found. You just have to look for it.”
– LA Times
IMPACT CAMPAIGN
Our goal is to spark meaningful conversation about FOUND, to cultivate empathy with the film subjects, and to empower viewers to explore and examine the many layers of personal identity and belonging, with close affinity to the many and diverse experiences represented in adoptee and AAPI communities.
The three pillars of the campaign:
Celebrate Your Identity
Create a forum for audiences to feel seen, affirmed, and in community with the experiences of Chloe, Lily, Sadie, their families.
Ask Brave Questions
- Inspire audiences to connect with and champion AAPI adoptee and adoptive family communities.
- Convene organizations and groups with similar missions, with FOUND as a starting point and common ground for conversation.
Make New Connections
Provide resources and create safe space to answer some of the tough, challenging questions the film raises.
Impact Campaign Activities:
Virtual Cooking Class with Adopteen, Chef Kristen Kish, Alyse Whitney & FOUND
Sponsored by Mala Market
Chef Kristin Kish, Co-Presenter of Iron Chef, and Alyse Whitney, food editor, two Korean-American adoptees, joined the FOUND families to cook Chef Kish’s Crispy Rice and examine how food can be a valuable entry point into culture and identity. This event was co-hosted by Adopteen, a program run by The Park Adoption Community Center in Centennial, CO. Adopteen is an adoptee-centric, adoptee-organized, non-profit with the mission of providing community support for adoptees from childhood through adulthood. A few Adopteen members participated in this event, cooking along with Kristin and posing questions to Kristin, Alyse, and the FOUND families. This event was sponsored by The Mala Market, a mother-daughter business that provides traditional, high quality Sichuan ingredients for authentic Chinese cooking.
We designed this event for a primary audience of adoptees to celebrate their identities and experiences—many of which were shared and mirrored in the film. As every adoptee is on their own journey, this event meant to lower the stakes and release the pressure to have “all the answers” at once. Food was the perfect forum to discuss identity, family, and self-discovery. And being able to cook all together built an instant camaraderie among all participants.
May 2022
Central Synagogue in New York, NY
Rabbi Angela Buchdahl joined the Central Synagogue congregation in a conversation on Jewish faith, family, identity, and belonging through the stories represented in FOUND. Joined by FOUND director, Amanda Lipitz, and documentary subjects Sari and Gene Lipitz (parents of Chloe Lipitz), Buchdahl posed questions about the making of the film and the ways in which Chloe’s Bat Mitzvah was the beginning of the FOUND journey. Rabbi Buchdahl examined the intersectionality of Judaism with Coco Trentalancia, an adoptee and youth member of Central Synagogue.
“The movie gave me confidence in myself.”
—Coco Trentalancia
Jenna Ushkowitz hosted a conversation with Chloe, Lily, and Sadie to unpack their shared experiences and reflect on the documentary’s release and reception. Ushkowitz, an actress, singer, and producer, best known for Glee, is also a Korean-American adoptee. The conversation dives into themes of personal identity, empowerment, the meaning of family, and the unique challenges of being an Asian-American woman and adoptee in these current times.
The conversation also touched upon some tough topics, like rising anti-Asian violence, racism and microagressions. Jenna shared her experience as an Asian-American actor in a stereotyped role in the hit show, Glee. Lily shared her experience of having a white person physically distancing themselves from her in a public place during the pandemic because of her race.
In partnership with Blueshift Education, Lismore Road created a companion guide for group discussion of FOUND. Designed for a general audience, the FOUND Discussion Guide includes a screening toolkit, additional historical background and context on the One Child Policy, international adoption, accompanying handouts, and topic guides on identity, self-discovery, family, the meaning of “Found,” racism, and microaggressions.
Denver, CO – July 2022
Chloe, Lily, and Sadie were invited to participate as counselors and special presenters at Chinese Heritage Camp in Denver, CO. Heritage Camps connect adoptive families with authentic cultural experiences, experts on adoption, and families with shared experiences.Chloe, Lily, and Sadie participated in two Q&A panels following the film’s screening and hosted a pizza party for other counselors in their age group.
Impact Campaign Partners:
