As an American who had lived in Moscow, producing the Russian version of Sesame Street, Robin Hessman returned to the country as a filmmaker with an aim to tell the stories of several Russians of the Perestroika generation – those who had lived behind the ‘Iron Curtain’ only to see it torn down with the collapse of the USSR, replaced with new freedoms and uncertainties. With My Perestroika, Hessman weaves together the stories of five classmates whose lives have bridged the gap between pre- and post-Soviet Russia. The film, part of the U.S. documentary competition at Sundance this past January, is due to air on ‘POV’ in the U.S. in 2011, to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the collapse of the Soviet Union.

Partners: A coproduction of Red Square Productions, Bungalow Town Productions, ITVS International in association with American Documentary|POV and YLE. Distributed by ro*co films international for all rights except U.S. and Finland broadcast.

Length: 1 x 87 minutes and 1 x 52 minutes

Wrapped: January, 2010. Premiered at Sundance 2010. U.S. broadcast premiere – mid 2011; Finland Broadcast – TBD

Rights available: World excluding U.S. broadcast & Finland broadcast