Relinquishment, Reunion,
and Family Truths -
A Conversation Inspired by Vivien's Wild Ride
THIS EVENT HAS ENDED.
If you would like access to the recording, please click the orange button below to fill out a form.
Join birth/first mother Vivien Hillgrove (Director: Vivien’s Wild Ride), her daughter Kathleen Toschi, Dr. Sara Docan-Morgan (author, In Reunion), and Moderator Astrid Castro (Founder and CEO, Adoption Mosaic) in a conversation about relinquishment during the "Baby Scoop Era" of U.S. adoptions (1945-1973), and the complexities of adoption reunions decades later. Presented by Adoption Mosaic, Mom’s Head Films, and Mu Films. Co-presented with Adoption Knowledge Affiliates (AKA), Adoptee Rights Law Center, Adoption Pop!, Concerned United Birth Parents (CUB), National Association of Adoptees and Parents (NAAP), and Saving Our Sisters (SOS).
ASL interpretation and captioning are available. For access questions, please email [email protected].
ABOUT THE FILM
Vivien’s Wild Ride (airing nationally on January 26th; watch it on the PBS app) chronicles the extraordinary life of film editor Vivien Hillgrove who begins to lose her sight after a prolific 50-year career. Her failing vision triggers memories of an earlier loss: As a high-school teenager in the early 1960s, Vivien got pregnant and was sent to Booth Memorial Home for Unwed Mothers in Oakland. Sequestered with other young women, she lived under a cloud of social stigma and relinquished her infant daughter for adoption. The experience left her wounded by shame and bearing a secret she would keep for decades. Her journey toward healing begins in a lesbian bar in San Francisco, where she finds community, purpose, and a career in film. From working on films like Amadeus, Blue Velvet, and The Right Stuff, to building a family with her long-lost daughter, Vivien’s story is one of resilience, reinvention, and the power of chosen connection.
To learn more about the film, visit:
https://www.pbs.org/independentlens/documentaries/viviens-wild-ride/
WHEN
Thurs, Feb. 26, 2026
5-6:15pm PT
(8-9:15pm ET)
WHERE
Online | Zoom
COST
FREE
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