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The challenges that come with childhood are addressed in these short films through a variety of genres and tones. From fraught relationships with parents to struggles among peers, these stories capture the ups and downs of growing up.
This screening features 8 films. Toggle between film descriptions by scrolling and clicking on the buttons on the top right.
Twenty years after their adoption, two Chinese Americans attempt to reconcile their ethnicity with their experiences.
Director Biography - AJ Johnson
AJ Johnson is an Orlando-based producer, director, and writer from Maryland and recent graduate of the University of Central Florida Bachelor of Fine Arts in Film Documentary Production program. She is passionate about the role stories have in our lives: to connect, to educate, to inspire, and to explore. Recently, she co-produced Jewel of Parramore: The Wells’Built Hotel, which was awarded a 2023 SunCoast Student Production Award by the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences in the category of Non-Fiction: Long Form. She has worked on numerous narrative student shorts and hopes to continue to make films with compelling stories at their center.
Director Statement
What does it mean to be Asian American?
For Chinese American adoptees, the answer is uncertain. The circumstances of adoption—severed lineage and a transracial upbringing—complicate identifying with either. Despite a growing presence of Asians in popular media, these depictions are incongruent with the experiences of adoptees, who often lack the same cultural traditions, language knowledge, or access to Asian community. Threading the Needle is a personal journey to establish belonging through confronting the strained relationship between heritage and upbringing.
I have long been drawn to the way that Asian American filmmakers seek to answer the question of identity for themselves after decades of reductive representations. Accordingly, the “adoptee documentary” is not new, but Threading the Needle is influenced by a number of recent events, including the end of China’s international adoption program in 2024, and how anti-Asian racism experienced during COVID-19 directly strengthened the film participants’ relationship with their heritage. Most impactfully, the film made it possible for Mia and I to address the emotional complexities of adoption with our families.
Regardless of who you are—adopted, Asian, or struggling to find your place—defining your identity is a universal process, and I sincerely hope that this film resonates with anyone who has ever felt that they don't belong.
- Year2025
- Runtime11 minutes
- LanguageEnglish
- CountryUnited States
- DirectorAJ Johnson
- ScreenwriterAJ Johnson
- ProducerAJ Johnson
- CastAJ Johnson, Mia Nails
The challenges that come with childhood are addressed in these short films through a variety of genres and tones. From fraught relationships with parents to struggles among peers, these stories capture the ups and downs of growing up.
This screening features 8 films. Toggle between film descriptions by scrolling and clicking on the buttons on the top right.
Twenty years after their adoption, two Chinese Americans attempt to reconcile their ethnicity with their experiences.
Director Biography - AJ Johnson
AJ Johnson is an Orlando-based producer, director, and writer from Maryland and recent graduate of the University of Central Florida Bachelor of Fine Arts in Film Documentary Production program. She is passionate about the role stories have in our lives: to connect, to educate, to inspire, and to explore. Recently, she co-produced Jewel of Parramore: The Wells’Built Hotel, which was awarded a 2023 SunCoast Student Production Award by the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences in the category of Non-Fiction: Long Form. She has worked on numerous narrative student shorts and hopes to continue to make films with compelling stories at their center.
Director Statement
What does it mean to be Asian American?
For Chinese American adoptees, the answer is uncertain. The circumstances of adoption—severed lineage and a transracial upbringing—complicate identifying with either. Despite a growing presence of Asians in popular media, these depictions are incongruent with the experiences of adoptees, who often lack the same cultural traditions, language knowledge, or access to Asian community. Threading the Needle is a personal journey to establish belonging through confronting the strained relationship between heritage and upbringing.
I have long been drawn to the way that Asian American filmmakers seek to answer the question of identity for themselves after decades of reductive representations. Accordingly, the “adoptee documentary” is not new, but Threading the Needle is influenced by a number of recent events, including the end of China’s international adoption program in 2024, and how anti-Asian racism experienced during COVID-19 directly strengthened the film participants’ relationship with their heritage. Most impactfully, the film made it possible for Mia and I to address the emotional complexities of adoption with our families.
Regardless of who you are—adopted, Asian, or struggling to find your place—defining your identity is a universal process, and I sincerely hope that this film resonates with anyone who has ever felt that they don't belong.
- Year2025
- Runtime11 minutes
- LanguageEnglish
- CountryUnited States
- DirectorAJ Johnson
- ScreenwriterAJ Johnson
- ProducerAJ Johnson
- CastAJ Johnson, Mia Nails