Off and Running Documentary
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hga5PvXTMAs
Story:
Documentary follows an African-American girl’s search for her birth mother within an adoptive family comprising a melting pot of race, culture and sexuality. Avery Klein-Cloud is a happy New York teenager who lives with her family and hopes to get a track scholarship to college. But as the documentary “Off and Running” reveals, Avery’s family is not your average American household.
“I’m adopted by two white mothers, one who was born in Israel and she’s Jewish and they other was born in Illinois. I have an older brother who’s three months older than me, who’s a mix of black and Puerto Rican, and he’s currently at Princeton and I have a younger brother that’s Korean, from Queens,” said Klein-Cloud.
It’s within this melting pot of culture, race and sexuality that Avery feels a strong desire to find her birth mother and her curiosity about her biological African-American roots grows. This creates an emotionally charged situation at home and Avery becomes more distant from her family.
“I think it was really hard on myself and my parents and I think it was just partially because of the point I was in in my life, it made it more difficult for everybody to deal with. But they were always supportive,” she said. Klein-Cloud’s displacement and questioning is captured by director Nicole Opper. Opper, who was Klein-Cloud’s film teacher at school. Opper said she became drawn to Avery’s story because her household is reflective of the world children are growing up in today; one that is mixed and where race and gender lines blur. Klein-Cloud says she hopes that the film helps parents to understand that their children will experience challenges and even if they push their parents away at times, they still love them. She also thinks it holds a strong message for children.
“I definitely feel like this film has let me open up and talk. I was able to finally talk and that helps, it gets it all out of your mind. And I think, you know, it should for all high school students, just show, you’re not alone, it happens to the best of us and you can get through it,” she said.
“Off and Running” premieres at the Tribeca Film Festival on Sunday (April 26) and it will also be broadcast in the U.S. on the PBS program “P.O.V.” in 2010.
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