Abigail Kemp stepped back onto Chinese soil in December 2023 for the first time since her adoption more than two decades earlier. What started as a personal quest became an 88 minute film that just premiered to a hometown crowd. Her documentary Year of the Rabbit blends old home videos with raw new footage to explore what home really means.
This deeply personal story hits at the heart of identity for many adoptees. Kemp took her father along on the journey that would reshape how she sees herself and her past.
The Trip That Started It All
In late 2023 Kemp and her father Michael flew to China together. They began in Beijing before heading to Hefei, the city where she was born and where her orphanage once stood. The final stop was Guangzhou, the place where the adoption papers were officially completed years earlier before she came to Atlanta.
The trip happened 22 years after her adoption in 2001. Kemp visited sites she had only seen in old family videos. She stood outside the orphanage gates and walked streets that held pieces of her earliest days. Her father, who had documented the original adoption trip, now captured this return with her.
The experience brought up feelings she had carried for years. Questions about belonging, culture, and family surfaced naturally as they moved through the cities. Kemp has shared that she did not go looking for birth parents. Instead she wanted to make new memories in the place her life started.
Key stops on the journey included:
- Beijing for first impressions and cultural reconnection
- Hefei to see her birthplace and orphanage area
- Guangzhou to reflect on the adoption finalization site
Each location added layers to her understanding of her story.
Turning Personal Footage Into a Feature Film
Kemp handled almost every part of the filmmaking herself. She produced, directed, and starred in the project as her feature debut. The result is an intimate 88 minute documentary that feels like a diary brought to life on screen.
She mixed old family videos from the adoption time with new shots from the 2023 trip. This blend shows the contrast between the baby who left China and the young woman who returned. Archival moments with her parents Michael and Heather holding her as a baby appear alongside present day reflections.
Making the film came with real challenges. As an independent creator she faced tight budgets and long hours. Yet that solo effort gave the project an honest feel that audiences notice right away. Kemp has described the process as one of the hardest things she has done but also the most rewarding.
The title Year of the Rabbit honors the Chinese zodiac year tied to her birth. The return trip also took place during a Rabbit year which added special meaning to the timing.
What the Film Reveals About Identity and Belonging
Year of the Rabbit goes beyond a simple travel story. It digs into bigger questions many transracial adoptees face. How do you connect with a culture you were separated from as a child? What does it mean to feel American while carrying Chinese roots?
Kemp shows vulnerability on screen as she processes these ideas in real time. She talks about times she rejected her heritage growing up and the surprise of feeling welcomed during the trip. The film captures quiet moments of reflection that many viewers will recognize from their own lives.
The documentary offers a fresh view on adoption stories. It does not center on searching for biological family. Instead it focuses on the adoptee building her own bridge back to her origins.
This approach resonates strongly in the adoptee community. Many Chinese adoptees from the early 2000s era are now adults exploring similar paths. Kemp’s work adds her voice to a growing wave of firsthand storytelling that moves away from outsider perspectives.
The film also highlights the role of parents in these journeys. Her father Michael appears throughout as a steady presence. Their shared experience on the trip shows how adoption shapes entire families across cultures.
Premiere Brings Story Home to Atlanta
The world premiere took place on March 21 2026 at the Atlanta Documentary Film Festival. The screening at Synchronicity Theatre drew local film fans and members of the adoptee community eager to see Kemp’s debut.2
As an Atlanta native Kemp brought the story full circle. The city where she grew up now hosted the first public showing of her return to China. Audience members stayed afterward for discussions that touched on identity, culture, and the power of personal documentaries.
Early reactions praise the film’s honesty and emotional depth. Viewers note how it avoids cliches and instead presents a real, sometimes messy look at reconnection. The self produced nature makes it stand out in a field often dominated by bigger teams.
Kemp has built an active following on social media where she shares updates and behind the scenes moments. Her channels show the long road from initial idea to finished film including funding efforts and years of editing.
Why This Story Matters Now
Adoptee voices are gaining more space in media and Year of the Rabbit arrives at the right time. As more people from the large wave of Chinese adoptions in the early 2000s reach adulthood their stories are helping reshape public understanding.
Kemp’s film encourages viewers to think about belonging in new ways. It shows that identity can grow through curiosity and courage rather than perfect answers. For adoptive families it offers insight into the inner world of children who may carry silent questions.
The project also proves the value of independent storytelling. One determined filmmaker with a camera and a clear purpose can create work that connects across communities.
Kemp’s journey reminds us that going back can change how we move forward. Her documentary captures the mix of joy uncertainty and growth that comes with facing your origins head on. In sharing her experience so openly she invites others to reflect on their own paths to self understanding.
This heartfelt film leaves a lasting impression. It celebrates the quiet bravery in asking hard questions about where we come from and who we are becoming.
