CAST AND CREW

The Cast

Canadian adoptee: Vivian
Where: Toronto
Vivian was adopted from Jiujiang, Jiangxi province in 1995, where she was found wrapped in a blanket in the downtown area of the city as a baby. Now part of a loving Canadian family, she attends a multi-cultural Toronto high school and holds a curiosity towards her heritage. It’s been a long time dream of Vivian’s to return to her birth city and discover the life that was hers, and what her future could have been had she remained.

 

 

 
Chinese adoptee: Shumin
Where: Jiujiang, China
Shumin was born the third daughter in a rural area where parents are allowed two children. Her birth parents opted to give Shumin away to the Zhu family at the age of 4 months, rather than face social penalties and steep fines for having a third child. Shumin is a shy, quiet girl who loves to draw. At 14, she had just finished grade 7 when we filmed. Shumin had previously felt ashamed of being adopted, and now felt more confident after seeing how comfortable Vivian was with it.

 
Vivian’s Parents : Eve and Hubert
Where: Toronto

Eve and Hubert (pictured here on the plane to China to adopt Vivian in 1995)were among the very first couples in Ontario to adopt from China, first with their older daughter Hilary and then with Vivian, three years later.They feel protective of Vivian in what could be an emotionally challenging trip for her, but are excited about what they all will discover on this trip to China. Eve will definitely be accompanying Vivian on the trip, making her a strong supporting character in the film, but work commitments make it uncertain whether Hubert will be there as well.

 

 

The Crew

Maureen Marovitch
Director/Co-Producer (Canada)
Maureen began working as a researcher, writer, director and producer in broadcast television in 1993. She’s written directed or co-directed over a dozen TV documentaries and short fiction films, including festival favourite When Two Won’t Do and the award-winning Backroads. That film chronicles the emotional story of a brother and sister hitchhiking 2500 km across Canada to meet their birth mother who abandoned them 17 years earlier. Maureen earned her chops researching, writing and directing for many popular TV series including Mystery Hunters, Dogs with Jobs, Risk Takers, My Brand New Life and Out in Montreal. She is currently the Creative Director at Picture This Productions, overseeing new project development.

 
David Finch
Co-producer

David oversees the development and production of corporate and broadcast projects for Picture This. Since launching his career in the sound recording industry, David moved to broadcast television, where he worked as a producer on several series. Since then he directed over a dozen acclaimed documentaries and several fiction films that have been broadcast in Canada and around the world.   David also teaches Film and Video Production and Media Studies at Champlain College in St. Lambert, Quebec. He was a co-chair of DOC Quebec, a member of the of the board at the Hot Docs! Film Festival and co-founder of the annual 2880 FilmBlitz Festival.

 
Dr. Changfu Chang
China unit supervisor

Dr. Changfu Chang, a native of Jiangsu Province, China, is currently a professor at Millersville University of Pennsylvania teaching in the areas of television production and mass media. He holds a Master’s Degree from Nanchang University, China and a Ph.D. from Purdue University, United States. Formerly a journalist in China and more recently a writer/ director/ cameraman on several of his own documentaries, Dr. Chang proved invaluable for his knowledge of international adoption issues and navigating the subtleties of Chinese culture.