Donor unknown.

Date:
2011
  • Videos

About this work

Also known as

Sperm donor unknown

Description

The story of a young American woman, JoEllen Marsh, who using the online Donor Sibling Registry service in the US, discovers her many half-siblings and then 'Donor 150', her father, who is Jeffrey Harrison. This intriguing documentary follows JoEllen's journey to discover the 'lost' half of her heredity. Her mother opted for donor assisted conception, which was facilitated by an organisation in California who supplies individuals with sperm. She was, like other women, attracted to the profile of 'Donor 150', who described himself as a 'dancer' and 'philosophy major' with an affinity with animals. Firstly the siblings discover each other using the power of the internet and an opportune article on the front page of the New York Times publicising their search. Jeffrey sees the article and gets in touch with the registry. Many of the siblings have met Jeffrey already, although neither JoEllen nor Fletcher (another sibling) had as yet and so the programme is present at this meeting. Along the way, we discover Jeffrey's philosophy of life (he's a hippy living in a RGV on Venice Beach), the sperm bank's commercial activities (including peaks into empty 'masturbatoria') as well as musings on what constitutes a 'family' and the meaning of fatherhood.

Publication/Creation

UK : Channel 4, 2011.

Physical description

1 DVD (48 min) : sound, color, PAL

Copyright note

Met Film/Redbird for Channel 4

Notes

Broadcast on 28 June, 2011

Creator/production credits

Directed by Jerry Rothwell and produced by Al Morrow and Hilary Durman for Met Film/Redbird.

Type/Technique

Languages

Where to find it

  • Copy 1

    LocationStatusAccess
    Closed stores
    4946D
  • Copy 2

    LocationStatusAccess
    Closed stores
    4946D

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