Born in the USSR

First installment in the Emmy and BAFTA award-winning series of documentaries. This is the USSR equivalent of the internationally acclaimed British Seven Up! [1964] series - the first ever reality soap. The concept involves filming and getting to know a number of children, aged seven, across the nation. These children are then re-visited every 7 years to see how their lives are progressing. A varied group of children from different regions and social classes were selected. The Soviet group includes children from across the union, including Russia, Kirgizstan, Georgia and Lithuania. The filming took place during a time of civil and ethnic unrest and poverty.

In this Emmy award winning Russian-British documentary, the film team re-visits the children originally portrayed in Born in the USSR AKA 7 Up in the Soviet Union [1991]. The children have now turned 14 and the year is 1998. The Soviet Union has long since been dissolved and several of the children from the original group are living in the newly independent republics. As a result of the extreme hardships in the 1990s, some have emigrated including one family to Israel and a boy adopted to the US. One boy is missing without a trace. The children reflect on their journey since the previous film and candidly explain their fears and hopes for the future. Shortly after this was shot, the rouble collapsed, throwing the Russia once again into desperate poverty. The United Russia party led by Vladimir Putin was elected with the task to clean up the situation.

Since filming started 14 years ago, some of the youngsters have left the former USSR to go to Israel or the United States, some have stayed in their family home, but all have had their lives changed. Archival footage of them at the ages of seven and 14, and now new material at 21, shows life in a society that was once shut off from the world.

mmy and Bafta award winning Russian-British documentary about a group of children born 1983 in the USSR. Installment 4 of 4 so far in this epic thinking man's' reality soap. In this documentary, the characters' life experiences since the age of seven constitutes the plot. The project started in 1990 when the children started school. Each episode is a three hour freestanding documentary and the films are separated by 7 years. NOTE! There are two editions of the film, a shortened British version of 1h 5 mins, adapted for UK audience. The other version is 3h 30 mins and is narrated in Russian and soft subtitled in English. It assumes familiarity with ex Soviet geography and conditions. Synopsis: It's been a dramatic journey through changing ideologies, harsh poverty, civil war, terrorism, revolutions, personal obstacles and disappointments as well as joys and unexpected good luck. The members in the group have now turned 28.