OFFICIAL TRAILER: Dear Mother - A Climber's Transracial Adoption Story

Climber and transracial Asian-American, Cody Kaemmerlen, searches for connection with his birth parents after a near-death fall leaves him shaken and grasping for answers.

Available for immediate film festival release - (40 minute feature film)

Cody Kaemmerlan is a climber adopted out of South Korea in 1984, into rural Tillamook, Oregon. He was raised by a loving family, and thrived in his small town, not fully comprehending what it was like to be a person of color in a white world. After reaching out to the adoption agency, he was left with an email stating his birth mother had no interest in meeting her son. He struggled in adulthood, as he started to experience adversity which produced a cycle of anger, divorce, car accident, and finally a near-death free-soloing fall which became a catalyst for change.

A few years later, the agency reached out with an apology about a file mix-up, stating his birth mother and father would love to meet. Soon after, he begins to process his adoption and identity with the help of the climbing community and close friends.

We follow Cody to South Korea on his mission to meet his mother and father, in hopes of finding resolution and inner peace.

A Louder Than 11 Production

Presented by The American Alpine Club
As part of the "Pull Focus Grant"

With Support From:
Mountain Hardwear
A-Lodge
Pro-Photo