Like thousands of Korean orphans since the 1950s, Kayla Tange was adopted by a Japanese American family and brought to the United States as an infant in 1982. She now lives in Los Angeles, where she works as an exotic dancer and as a performance artist. In 2011, Kayla made arrangements through a social worker to meet her birthmother. After traveling to Korea, she was devastated to learn that her birthmother had changed her mind and refused to meet with her. Kayla returned to the US with even more questions and an even heavier heart than before. Kayla hopes this visual letter filmed over the course of a year will help bring her some sort of peace if not the chance to finally meet the mother she’s never known.
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Directed by MATTHEW KAUNDART (matthewkaundart.com)
Inspired by Letters by KAYLA TANGE (kaylatange.com)
Produced by LUKA FISHER (luka-fisher.com) & MATTHEW KAUNDART
Co-Producer KAYLA TANGE
Director of Photography KYLE KRUPINSKI (kylekrupinski.com)
Edited by MATTHEW KAUNDART
Translation YONG KWON
Color KYLE KRUPINSKI
Re-Recording Mixer BRENT KISER
Sound Editor TIMOTHY PRESTON
Dear Mothers performance at the 6th annual Asian Burlesque Extravaganza at the Highline Ballroom in New York on May 12, 2018.
Coco Ono
Dear Mothers
performance at the 6th annual Asian Burlesque Extravaganza at the Highline Ballroom in New York on May 12, 2018.
