Invitation: Documentary Film "My Perestroika" at AAASS in Boston

[Donna Griesenbeck]

Dear Colleagues,

For those of you who are planning to attend the annual convention of the 
American Association for the Advancement of Slavic Studies in Boston on 
November 12-15, the Davis Center is hosting a special sneak preview of 
the feature documentary film, My Perestroika, on November 13. The 
screening will be followed by a brief Q & A with filmmaker Robin 
Hessman. Afterwards, filmgoers are invited to attend the Davis Center’s 
reception for alumni and friends.

If you miss this preview opportunity, please note that My Perestroika is 
slated for broadcast in 2011 on the PBS series POV to mark the 20th 
anniversary of the collapse of the USSR.

I hope you’ll be able to join us on the 13th.

Sincerely,

Lisbeth L. Tarlow
Associate Director
Davis Center for Russian & Eurasian Studies
Harvard University

***

Sneak Preview of My Perestroika
Q & A with Filmmaker Robin Hessman

Friday, November 13
7:00 PM, Grand Ballroom Salons H and I
Reception to follow in Grand Ballroom Salons J and K
Both events take place in the convention hotel.

The screening and reception are open to all
registered AAASS convention-goers.


***

ABOUT THE FILM:
My Perestroika (running time ~90 minutes) tells the story of five people 
from the last generation of Soviet children brought up behind the Iron 
Curtain. Just coming of age when the USSR collapsed, they witnessed the 
world of their childhood crumble and change beyond recognition.

The film explores the lives and personal stories of a married couple, 
both history teachers, and three of their childhood friends, revealing 
how they are adjusting to their post-Soviet reality in today's Moscow. 
Using a wealth of footage rarely seen outside of Russia--including 
extensive home movies from the 1970s--My Perestroika intercuts an
intimate view of the past with the contemporary lives of these former 
schoolmates, weaving their voices to map the contours of a nation still 
very much in transition.

PRAISE FOR MY PERESTROIKA:

My Perestroika is a wonderful film. It asks, "What has changed since the 
collapse of the Soviet Union? Has anything really changed?" We get 
different answers from the people we've gotten to know well in the film. 
Because filmmaker Robin Hessman knows Russia and its people so well, the 
viewer strongly identifies with all the film’s central characters. A 
real view from inside, completely natural and real, it vividly portrays 
history up close and personal. The montaged juxtapositions of past and 
present are beautifully done. The home movies of the heroes’ childhood 
and the soundtrack music, composed of popular songs for children from 
the 70s and 80s, add to the authenticity of this fine documentary.

-Jane Taubman, Professor of Russian, Amherst College

ABOUT THE FILMMAKER:
Robin Hessman graduated from Brown University with a dual degree in 
Russian and film. She received her graduate degree in film directing 
from the All-Russian State Institute of Cinematography (VGIK) in Moscow 
(with a “red diploma,” or honors). She received an Academy Award in 1994 
(with co-director James Longley) for their student film, Portrait of Boy 
with Dog. During her eight years living in Russia, Robin worked for the 
Children’s Television Workshop as the on-site producer of Ulitsa Sezam, 
the original Russian language Sesame Street. In 2005 she was named 
Filmmaker in Residence at WGBH, Boston, to develop My Perestroika.

Robin is an associate of Harvard University’s Davis Center for Russian 
and Eurasian Studies and a term member of the Council on Foreign 
Relations. Since 2006, Robin has served as the director of documentary 
programming for Amfest, the American Film Festival in Moscow.

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