Growing up, the only thing JoEllen Marsh knew about her biological father was that he was Donor 150. She had basic questions about where she came from and who shared her nose. Using the Internet and social networking sites, JoEllen set out to locate and meet for the first time dozens of brothers and sisters across the country. With an ever-expanding family tree, JoEllen and her newfound siblings decide to initiate contact with the bearer for their shared genes, Donor 150. Enter Jeffrey Harrison, an eccentric fiftysomething hippie living out of an RV on Venice Beach. As a youngster, Jeffrey moved to Hollywood with acting dreams, but between posing for Playgirl, waiting tables, and donating sperm at $20 a pop, his life didn't pan out as planned.
Award-winning documentary filmmaker Jerry Rothwell (Heavy Load, Deep Water) captures the path of young people looking for their genetic inheritance as it converges with an aging vagabond whose life choices just might now offer new purpose. Together they explore—and call into question—the role of genetics as a foundation for lasting "family" relationships within a distinctly modern context.
Donor Unknown won the Tribeca (Online) Film Festival Best Feature Award, and will have two additional screenings on Sunday, May 1. Learn more.
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