ADOPTED by Rouven Rech and Gudrun F. Widlok

The ADOPTED project finds godparents in Africa for European adults, who are detached from their families. Large families in Ghana are already awaiting the forthcoming union with their new family members. Ludger from Berlin just recently found out about ADOPTED. Disappointed with his emotionless surroundings and isolated from friends and family, he has long been searching for an escape. He hesitantly participates in ADOPTED and is selected sooner than expected. Thelma, a young girl from a small community in Iceland originally came to study in Berlin only a year ago. Her ambitious plan of becoming an actress didn´t come true. On the other hand she didn´t feel ready to settle down. When the fluttering young girl heart of the ADOPTED program she was immediately hooked, enthusiasticly waiting for the moment of departure. A family in Accra (Ghana) agreed to sponsor her months ago and she is quite pleased about drawing her time in Germany to a close. She packed her suitcases and gave away her furniture. She is flying to Africa tomorrow – perhaps forever. The same for Gisela, a 70-year old widow, living in a romantic farmhouse in Northern Germany. She is very excited too. The last few years were not easy for her. The art projects of her husband had always priority and after he passed away she tried to numb her loneliness with activities but lost the feeling of what could be good for herself. The former school-teacher sees a new perspective in a family with children in Africa. The film depicts the life of the protagonists, their journey to Africa and a process of anticipated closeness and inevitable misunderstandings. The film idea of ADOPTEDTM is based on the existing art project of the same name by Gudrun F. Widlok.