Wo Ai Ni Mommy is a powerful documentary about adoption. Stephanie Wang-Breal’s film explores the story of Fang Sui Yong, an 8-year-old orphan, and the Sadowskys, the Long Island Jewish family that travels to China to adopt her. Through the child’s eyes, we witness her struggle with a new country and a new identity. Here’s a synopsis:
From 2000-2008, China was the leading country for U.S. international adoptions. There are now approximately 70,000 Chinese children being raised in the United States. Wo Ai Ni Mommy explores what happens when an older Chinese girl is adopted into an American family. This film reveals the complicated gains and losses that are an inherent aspect of international, transracial adoption.
In 2007 Donna and Jeff Sadowsky of Long Island, New York submitted their dossier to adopt eight-year old Fang Sui Yong from Guangzhou, China. From the very first moment Sui Yong meets her new mother, Donna, we get a real sense of the emotional confusion and loss Sui Yong experiences, as adoption workers translate their first words of communication. This day will change Sui Yong’s life, forever. Language, habits, food, everything she knows will never be the same. Her new life in America is filled with happiness and confusion. As she struggles to survive in this new world, we witness her transform into a lively, outspoken American. Sui Yong has become someone neither she nor Donna could have imagined. In a sense, she’s the same girl Donna met in Guangzhou all those months ago – and yet she’s utterly different.
Wo Ai Ni Mommy really makes you think about adoption from the child’s point of view as well as the pros and cons of transcultural adoption. The film is working it’s way out on the Asian American film festival circuit, so be sure to see it. It just won best documentary on Best Documentary Feature at the 2010 San Francisco Asian American Film Festival. Look for it at your local film festival.
Wo Ai Ni Mommy Trailer
Although the film is complete, there’s still so much work to be done. The people behind Wo Ai Ni Mommy want the issues raised in this documentary to live beyond the screening room and help spark discussion for all families, whether adoptive, transracial, transcultural, or immigrant. They want to provide the platform for these conversations to take place. “Wo Ai Ni Mommy” needs your help to raise funds to create work sheets, study guides, classroom curriculums and audience engagement tools which we plan on freely sharing with the world through woainimommy.com. Learn more about helping here
