Movies Similar to One "Orphan" Every Hour

Les enfants de Vercheny(2021)

Memory Books(2008)

In Uganda, AIDS-infected mothers have begun writing what they call Memory Books for their children. Aware of the illness, it is a way for the family to come to terms with the inevitable death that it faces. Hopelessness and desperation are confronted through the collaborative effort of remembering and recording, a process that inspires unexpected strength and even solace in the face of death.

Geographies of Kinship(2019)

In this powerful tale about the rise of Korea’s global adoption program, four adult adoptees return to their country of birth and reconnect with their roots, mapping the geographies of kinship that bind them to a homeland they never knew.

Reset(2025)

On April 16th, 2014, the Sewol Ferry sank in South Korea, taking with it the lives of 304 of its 476 passengers. South Korea's worst maritime disaster traumatized a nation while simultaneously sinking the country's emotional spirit. The film asks why the rescue of Korea's children and people was neglected on the fateful day the Sewol sank.

Alene B. Duerk: The First Woman Admiral(2020)

Following the tradition of military service in her family, Alene Duerk enlisted as a Navy nurse in 1943. During her eventful 32 year career, she served in WWII on a hospital ship in the Sea of Japan, and trained others in the Korean War. She became the Director of the Navy Nursing Corps during the Vietnam War before finally attaining the rank of Admiral in the U.S. Navy. Despite having no other women as mentors (or peers), Admiral Duerk always looked for challenging opportunities that women had not previously held. Her consistently high level of performance led to her ultimate rise to become the first woman Admiral.

Aka Dan(2014)

YouTube musician and Korean American adoptee Dan Matthews travels to South Korea to perform and reunite with his biological family, including a long lost twin he never knew he had.

People We Come Across(2021)

What happens when a group of Finns travel to a tiny village in Benin to participate in a vaccination study? By participating, they can aid in the development of a diarrhea vaccine for children in developing countries – and, at the same time, have a different kind of vacation in West Africa. The complicated side of helping people and the clashes between two cultures rise to the forefront of Mia Halme’s delicious documentary film.

Seven Years-Journalism without Journalist(2017)

A total of 17 journalists have been fired since 2008, the beginning of LEE Myung-bak’s presidential term. They fought against the companies that they worked for succumbing to power and are now frustrated at reality where censorship of the press by authority has now become a norm. Can they continue their activities as journalists?

Masaka Kids, A Rhythm Within(2025)

The story behind the Uganda-based YouTube dance sensations who have endured devastating personal loss from famine and war, and use the power of dance and song to overcome hardship.

Born into Brothels: Calcutta's Red Light Kids(2004)

Documentary depicting the lives of child prostitutes in the red light district of Songachi, Calcutta. Director Zana Briski went to photograph the prostitutes when she met and became friends with their children. Briski began giving photography lessons to the children and became aware that their photography might be a way for them to lead better lives.

Cyber Hell: Exposing an Internet Horror(2022)

Anonymous and exploitative, a network of online chat rooms ran rampant with sex crimes. The hunt to take down its operators required guts and tenacity.

The Birth of Korea 2: Freedom Fighter(2025)

How did South Korea, after liberation in 1945 defend liberal democracy against leftist and communist forces? The door to that secret is now revealed.

Island Being(2007)

Sorokdo is an island of Korea where the scars of the wars are visible. Wars that sowed confusion, suffering and injustice in a society concentrated on its economic development.

Marilyn, Her Final Secret(2022)

Thanks to DNA, this documentary establishes the identity of Marilyn's biological father, thus revealing her new paternal family, 60 years after the icon's death.

Mein fremdes Land(2022)

A Bolivian by birth, who grew up with adoptive parents in the Swabian town of Mössingen, is looking for his family in the mountains of Potosí. Out of poverty, his mother gave the little boy away when he was just a few months old. The search carries a story that goes far beyond personal fate. Because Manuel was born in a region known for the ruthless exploitation of silver. It's a film about identity, homeland and equal opportunities.

Boys on the Hill(2024)

At nineteen, they left their homes for an unfamiliar land, its name unknown to them. UN soldiers from across the globe boarded ships bound for the Korean Peninsula's battlefields. Filled with youthful adventure, they soon witnessed horrors in the Korean War that no young person should ever experience. Now in their nineties, these veterans, nearing the end of their lives, recall the unforgettable highlands of the Korean Peninsula. Over these hills, where the beautiful landscapes of spring, summer, fall, and winter pass by, what did they witness, and what did they lose?

Patience, sweetheart(2024)

I am alone in an apartment. Opposite, a lake. I have to immerse my adoptive mother's funeral urn in it. This was her wish. How to make it? Suddenly, the ghost of my Korean mother reappears. My teenage daughter comes to support me.

The Front Line of Ideology(2024)

One year after the Korean War, the conflict had reached a stalemate. The two opposing forces began to search for a way to end the grueling war of attrition, eventually settling on a modest village called ‘Pan Mun Jom’ near Gaeseong as the designated site for negotiations. Despite initial hopes for a quick resolution, the negotiating parties encountered obstacles that prevented an agreement. Disputes over the military demarcation line and the repatriation of prisoners of war thwarted their efforts. The film peels back the layers to reveal the untold story of Pan Mun Jom, shedding light on a history that has remained hidden until now.

Colombia In Korea(2003)

The Forgotten War: Colombia’s Battalion in Korea is a documentary that brings to light the little-known story of Colombia’s involvement in the Korean War (1950–1953). Through personal testimonies, rare archival footage, and geopolitical analysis, the film recounts how over 5,000 Colombian soldiers, organized as the Colombia Battalion No. 1, answered the United Nations’ call to support South Korea against the invasion by the North, which was backed by China and the Soviet Union. This marked Colombia’s first international military mission and the only Latin American combat presence in the conflict. Though long overlooked, this intervention laid the foundation for a “special” bilateral relationship between Colombia and South Korea that endures to this day.

De Chinese keizerin(2024)

Despite the warm images in the family archive, photographer and filmmaker Jonnah misses an intimate bond with her (adoptive) parents. Over the years, a wall has been built between them that Jonnah is now trying to break down with her parents.