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To My Birthmother...

Directed by Beverly Shaffer
Canada, 2002 (documentary, 55 minutes, colour, English)
To My Birthmother...
Image: © National Film Board of Canada
Video (National Film Board of Canada)

Film Description:
"Delving into the past is a risky business but for someone who's been adopted, there's a compelling need to know. When Marie Klaassen went looking for her birthmother, she discovered that trying to find her would take perseverance and guts and that succeeding in the search was not the end but another beginning. To My Birthmother... answers the question 'Oh my God, how did you find me?' with warmth and dignity. It is Marie's frank and earthy account of a personal journey through other times and other places to find the woman who gave her life. Told as a video diary, it's a fascinating story of a reunion fraught with suspense, humour and humanity."
-- National Film Board of Canada (source)

Film Credits (partial):
Produced by: Beverly Shaffer, Mark Zannis, Sally Bochner
Participants: Marie Klaassen, Janine Maxwell, Henry Klaassen, Grace Klaassen, Bob Sargalis, Leah Klaassen, Jon Klaassen, Joan Jezegou, Holly Boychuk, Isabelle Sargalis, Lionel Sargalis, Holly Kramer, Norma Hughes Howard
Cinematography: Joan Hutton
Film Editing: Howard Goldberg
Music: Robert M. Lepage
Production Company: National Film Board of Canada / Office national du film du Canada
(sources)

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