I Am Adopted

Producer: Julie Goldstein / Artifact Pictures

Adoption has been a subject of social interest for years - national debates about non-traditional families, and reproductive rights have all touched on this difficult issue. In all the discussion, however, the experience of the adult adoptee is rarely heard or acknowledged. Aside from the emotional and psychological dimensions of the adoptee's experience, there is also a legal aspect, as adult adoptees are, in most states, including Pennsylvania, being kept from accessing their own birth records. The laws that prevent them from doing so are a legacy of a social climate that stigmatized infertility, out-of-wedlock birth, and adoption. This documentary brings to light the experiences of adoptees whose life experiences, as part of the adoption triad (adoptee, birthmother, adoptive parents), are not always socially recognized. Producer Julie Goldstein frames this documentary with her own personal experience - a reunion with her birthmother - which evolved while she attended the Adoptee Rights Demonstration in Philadelphia in 2009.

Julie Goldstein is the Academic Department Chair of Media Arts, Animation, Motion Graphics and Visual Effects at The Art Institute of Colorado and the Co-Founder and Animation/Creative Director of Artifact Pictures. She has been directing, editing and producing media for more than 15 years. She has taught 3D animation, media production, concept development, and history of electronic art at The University of Pennsylvania, The University of the Arts, Ringling School of Art & Design, Temple University, Grand Valley State University, and the Museum of Contemporary Art in Chicago. Julie has produced and directed a variety of animated projects, ranging from children’s character animation to 3D visualizations for a multimedia opera. She has also produced numerous award-winning shorts and animated films, which have screened at film festivals around the world. In addition to her career in animation, Julie has directed and edited a variety of other media projects. Julie received her MFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, and her BS from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Artifact Pictures is a media production company specializing in documentary and animation. The company was founded by a talented group of film and video makers with the mission to create original, innovative media that makes a powerful impression, and contributes to our cultural dialogue. For more information, please visit http://www.artifactpictures.com