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My Perestroika follows five ordinary Russians living in extraordinary times — from their sheltered Soviet childhood, to the collapse of the Soviet Union during their teenage years, to the constantly shifting political landscape of post-Soviet Russia. Together, these childhood classmates paint a complex picture of the dreams and disillusionments of those raised behind the Iron Curtain.

Through a wealth of footage not often seen outside of Russia – private home movies, Soviet children’s programs, cartoons, and newsreels- My Perestroika intercuts a rare and intimate view of the visual world of the past with verité contemporary stories of these 30-somethings in Moscow today.

The documentary is a co-production with Red Square Productions (US), Bungalow Town Productions (UK) and ITVS International, in association with American Documentary and YLE FST Finland. It has received support from the Ford Foundation, the LEF Foundation, the NEH, the Radziwill Documentary Fund, The Sundance Institute Documentary Fund, the WGBH Lab, IREX, and the Joukowsky Family Foundation.

The film premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in 2010 as part of the US Documentary Competition. It will be broadcast in 2011 on the PBS independent film series, POV, marking the 20th anniversary of the collapse of the USSR.

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Producer: Robin Hessman