SO, WHAT'S IT LIKE?

Upon discovering her Soviet background, Julia Nalivaiko's friends often ask, "What's it like over there?". To answer, she traveled to Russia and Ukraine with Australian filmmaker Stuart McBratney, in an attempt to better understand the country she left as a child.

 

Filmed in 2011, well before Euromaidan and the resulting Ukrainian crisis, the series explores the effects of the Soviet Union and its subsequent collapse on Ukraine and Russia. It offers a unique and personal glimpse into the daily life of its people, and sheds light on the complex relationship between the two countries.

 

Across seven half-hour episodes in stunning HD, Julia interviews a fascinating collection of characters, samples the cuisine, and explores the cities and countryside. And amongst these new discoveries, she revisits a long-lost part of her childhood in an emotional reunion.

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Back in the Soviet Bloc contains laughs, tears, and big serving of home-made varenyky. So grab your furry hat, and come along on a colourful, intimate and insightful journey to the former Soviet Bloc.