Genre: Documentary Format: 2k Length: 85 min Language: Russian Shooting dates: December 2023 – January 2024 – June 2025 Locations: Yuzhno Sakhalinsk, Vladivostok, Novosibirsk, Ulan Ude, Irkutsk, Yekaterinburg and Saint Petersburg Status: Picture Lock
Synopsis
Working Youth, Fucking Youth, Russian Youth is a fragmented portrait of a generation in a reality they did not choose but must inhabit. Shot in the winter of 2023 across seven Russian cities, from East to West, the documentary follows unconnected stories of young people born in the early 2000s. By observing their lives, it offers a meditation on being twenty in uncertain times. A moment in life caught between fading illusions and a fragile tomorrow.
Director’s Statement
Born in the 1980s, the filmmakers grew up witnessing a rapidly changing world: the rise of the internet, the collapse of the Soviet Union, and the emergence of a more interconnected global reality. Observing a generation often unheard or misrepresented, we aimed to capture its reality on film.
In early 2022, amid growing propaganda and global tensions, we traveled across Russia, creating spaces where young people could speak openly, not only about politics but also about themselves and their uncertain futures. Short, unscripted interviews, filmed across diverse urban and remote landscapes, capture fragments of young people’s lives as they navigate disconnection, hope, and resilience.
The project is not about answers but presence: a meditation on vulnerability, energy, and the timeless drive of young people to keep moving forward despite uncertainty, offering a human perspective beyond headlines and generalizations.
Juan Rmzv
Born in Ibagué, Colombia, has over a decade of experience across filmmaking disciplines, from animation and video installations to sounddesign and directing. His work has been featured internationally, including at Nuit Blanche 2012 in Paris.
Contact
ekaterinamostovaia@gmail.com
nawhnzv@gmail.com