You Don’t Know My Name

ERIC SAYS The debut feature by Tommy Franklin, a personal documentary with hybrid narrative elements, accomplishes so many things it’s jaw-dropping. As a politically charged documentary, it draws attention to an angering and under-discussed issue: the sometimes permanent separation of mothers and their babies when incarcerated women give birth. In its narrative interludes, it uses rich imagery and heartfelt performances to illustrate the emotional gap caused by such separations, and does the work to try to bridge that distance and envision what healing and reconnection can look like. And as the many-year, no holds-barred personal quest of someone who was raised by adopted parents trying to locate both of his birth parents, it finally discovers… well, no—I’m not going to tell you that. You’ll have to watch this remarkable film yourself to find out.

If you find passionate, honest, and painstaking personal-journey documentaries like Evolution of a Criminal and Stories We Tell as riveting as I do, make this beautiful film a priority in your schedule. New/Next regulars who appreciated the artfully layered qualities of self-portraits like Milisuthando and The Taste of Mango will also be wowed by You Don’t Know My Name and the unflinching search for roots it documents. We couldn’t be more proud to be hosting its world premiere.