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Our Daughters
TYPE: Documentary Feature
GENRE: Documentary
STATUS: Production
LOGLINE
For the sake of their twin daughters, an Indian adoptive mother and a white birth mother venture into uncharted territory with an open adoption, crossing racial and cultural lines.
SYNOPSIS
A much-anticipated visit by their birth mother unravels questions around adoption and identity for eight-year-old fraternal twins and their immigrant South Asian parents who adopted them as infants. From rural New Mexico to affluent suburban Pennsylvania, OUR DAUGHTERS weaves intimate verité footage with home movies to tell an unprecedented coming-of-age story of two daughters raised in an Indian household navigating identity, past traumas, and the future of their unique American family.
ARTISTIC STATEMENT
Drawn to stories at the intersection of race, religion, immigration, and family, Jeyaram’s documentary OUR DAUGHTERS weaves 10 years of family footage and archives with five years of observational footage, unraveling identity, race, class, and the complex reality of open adoption through an immigrant lens.
KEY CREW
Chithra Jeyaram - Director, Producer
CHITHRA JEYARAM (she/her) is a physical therapist turned filmmaker with an MFA in Film from the University of Texas, Austin. She identifies as Tamil. Her work dismantles stereotypes by centering narratives that illuminate the perspectives, struggles, and complexities of families - both biological and chosen. Her short film RAGS TO PADS tells the story of Muruganadham, a husband who destigmatized menstruation and framed it as a societal issue not just a women’s issue. Her next film FOREIGN PUZZLE is a poignant exploration of motherhood that contrasts cancer's brutality with the resilience of dance. As the lead producer, she's spearheading a campaign to bring the short documentary AMMA'S PRIDE to one million people in rural Tamil Nadu. The film chronicles Valli’s unwavering support for her trans daughter, Srija, as she navigates the trials and tribulations of her marriage. She is an adjunct faculty at NYU. Her work was featured on 2M, CBSN, Apple TV, PBS, Revry, SXSW, BlackStar, and DOC NYC.
BHAVANA GOPARAJU - Co-Producer
BHAVANA GOPARAJU (She/her) is an independent writer and producer who amplifies the stories that often go unheard and uncelebrated. Her work celebrates the resilience of individuals navigating life's challenges, focusing on the stories of unsung heroes, marginalized communities, and those who courageously love and fight despite adversity. Bhavana founded Jeevi Films based in India and USA, and its first production ‘In The Belly of a Tiger’ premiered at Berlinale 2024 and won five international awards including Best Feature Fiction at Adelaide Film Festival and was part of the Hong Kong Asia Film Financing Forum, National Film Development Corporation of India’s Film Bazaar and Tallinn’s Work in Progress Labs. Her other filmography includes narrative films Mantra (Producer, 2017, Hindi) released in Theaters, Netflix in the USA, Prime, Ek Poshla Rupkatha (Producer, 2018, Bengali) released on Moviesaints and Maadathy, an Unfairy Tale (Co-producer, 2019, Tamil). Ek Poshla Rupkatha won six international awards and‘Maadathy-an Unfairy Tale’ which received several awards including Best Feature (FIPRESCI- Jury) at Kolkata International Film Festival premiered at Busan. In addition to producing, she hopes to direct films soon.
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