An extraordinary family
Published 22 February 2011
Award-winning documentary film director Jerry Rothwell, who works with students at University Centre Hastings, the University of Brighton's campus in Hastings, is about to premiere his new film focusing on the far-reaching consequences of one man's 500 sperm donations.
The California-based documentary entitled Donor Unknown follows 20-year-old JoEllen Marsh's search for her biological father and her discovery of enough half-siblings to form a football team. When she tracks down 'Donor 150', as he is known, she finds, not the imagined dashing doctor or famous film star, but a beach bum living in a broken-down trailer.
The film explores issues of identity, genetic inheritance and the family of the future and has received critical acclaim as "a real winner" and "a compelling story told with wry humour."
Gilly Smith, lecturer in factual scriptwriting at University Centre Hastings, said: "Jerry Rothwell is one of our finest local film-makers and provides our budding documentary makers with invaluable insights by sharing his knowledge."
Jerry's film will be shown at the Duke of York's cinema in Brighton on 24 February and will be followed by a question-and-answer session. Jerry said: "My role with students at University Centre Hastings is to enable them to use my films as case studies and to give them access to the funding and creative documents that go into making them."
You can find out more about media courses in Hastings here.
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Contact: Marketing and Communications, University of Brighton, 01273 643022
