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Logline

Julia, a Korean American adoptee, travels to Seoul to meet her biological mother for the first time. In a sterile government office, the reunion plays out twice.

Synopsis

Julia, a Korean American adoptee, has dreamed her whole life of meeting her birth mother in Korea. But when she arrives at a sterile government office, reality fractures into two versions of the same reunion. In the first, her mother Cheong-hee is overwhelmingly emotional yet reveals nothing, leaving Julia unsatisfied. In the second, Cheong-hee is silent and still, forcing Julia to lead the encounter and uncover unexpected vulnerability. When Julia requests a moment alone, the two women sit across from each other, unable to speak the same language yet communicating from the heart. They grasp hands, eyes finally meeting. This time, when they leave together, they carry exchanged numbers and plans to see each other again.

Meet the Filmmakers

Dahee Kim — Writer/Director
Dahee Kim (b. 1988, Seoul, South Korea) is a transnational adoptee and filmmaker, raised in a white family and community in the suburbs of Minneapolis. Her work critically explores the complexities of identity within the transracial and transnational adoption experience. Dahee has made three short films that deal with themes of adoption. Her films have been featured at prominent festivals including DOC NYC, Austin Film Festival, Punto de Vista, the Atlanta Film Festival, and the Minneapolis St. Paul International Film Festival. She holds an MFA in Film/Video from the California Institute of the Arts (2023). Dahee is the recipient of the 2021 Alison Doerner Fund for Women Pioneers in Filmmaking and the 2022 Allan Sekula Social Documentary Fund.

Mel Mah — Producer
Mel is a Chinese Canadian writer, director and producer from Toronto whose work has played at Cannes, NewFilmmakers LA, the LA Asian Pacific Film Festival, and the Cleveland International Film Festival, among others. She was a 2024 WIF Directing Fellow, the associate producer on Sony’s feature film BIG GEORGE FOREMAN and she’s currently developing her first feature film, a dramedy starring Ken Jeong. Mel is also a co-founder of Decorum, a production company that she runs with her producing partner Frances Rubio dedicated to amplifying underrepresented voices in film. In addition to her cinematic work, Mel’s an internationally renowned yoga and meditation teacher and she was featured on THE TODAY SHOW in 2022. She’s the director of ANIVITA, an organization that empowers women through mindfulness, and she’s also an instructor on the Calm app where her videos have garnered over 1 million views.

Frankie Rubio — Producer
Frances “Frankie” Rubio is a first generation Filipino-American who has produced several short films, including Move In written and directed by Mel Mah and Maybe It’s Just the Rain, directed by Reina Bonta. In addition, she made her directorial debut with her short documentary called Recording for Dodie, which premiered on WORLD Channel/PBS in June 2022 and was part of a programming block called Asian American Stories of Resilience and Beyond, which was nominated for a Daytime Emmy. Frankie was a Women In Film (WIF) 2024 Creative Producing Fellow and a Gold House Futures and she also holds a MS from Columbia University. In 2022, she and her creative partner, Mel Mah founded Decorum, a production company dedicated to championing diverse perspectives through impactful storytelling

Christian Sprenger — Director of Photography
Christian Sprenger, ASC, is an award-winning cinematographer, widely praised for his unique visual style, from FX’s Atlanta, to HBOMax’s Station Eleven, Amazon Studios’ Guava Island and Mr. And Mrs. Smith. Renowned for his long-form collaborations with director Hiro Murai, his journey as a cinematographer boasts an impressive three Emmy wins and six nominations for Outstanding Cinematography, as well as a 2023 ASC Award nomination. In addition to acting as Proton Docs Editor https://docs-editor.proton.me/?type=doc&mode=edit 1 of 2 3/13/26, 2:59 PM Outstanding Cinematography, as well as a 2023 ASC Award nomination. In addition to acting as the primary series cinematographer, he also produced the Amazon Original series Mr. & Mrs. Smith as well as the upcoming Apple+ series Widows Bay. In 2024, Christian was welcomed into the American Society of Cinematographers.

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Contact

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