Offspring
Original title: Offspring
Duration: 54’
Producer: Laszlo Barna
Director: Barry Stevens
Scientific field: History, Biology, Human sciences, Genetics, Medicine, Health
Year: 2001
Country: Canada
A few years ago, Barry Stevens found out that may have as many as a hundred or two hundred half brothers and sisters. Stevens and his mystery sibs were among the first people conceived by artificial insemination and the genetic patriarch of this secret clan was an anonymous sperm donor in England half a century ago. In the film, Stevens searches for the identity of the shadowy figure from whose loins they all sprang. His documentary is essentially a detective story set in the brave new world of reproductive technology. Stevens examines the strange, secret world of anonymous donor conception as he documents his personal quest with all its frustrations, sadness and humour- and its surprising success. But more than anything, OFFSPRING is a film that asks profound questions about the social and emotional meaning of genetic ties. It is a film about the meaning of family.
