Preview Sunday Screening – Donor Unknown

Donor Unknown is a new feature documentary following the story of JoEllen Marsh as she sets off in search of the sperm donor father she only knows as Donor 150.  JoEllen, 20, grew up in Pennsylvania with two mothers, and a curiosity to discover more about her anonymous donor.  When she tracks down a half-sister in New York online, the New York Times runs the story, and 12 more half-siblings come forward.  Then she hears from Jeffrey Harrison, living alone in a broken-down RV on Venice Beach, with four dogs and a pigeon. In the 1980s, Jeffrey paid the rent by becoming a sperm donor at California Cryobank.  His number was Donor 150.

Funny, moving and provocative, Donor Unknown raises intriguing questions about our understanding of family, fatherhood, and the strange power of genetic connections.

In April, Donor Unknown had its US premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival, and won the Best Feature Award in the Tribeca Online Film Festival. It will be released in cinemas in the UK on June 3rd, so the Frontline screening is a special preview followed by a Q+A with director Jerry Rothwell.

 

2011
Directed by Jerry Rothwell