The Children of Leningradsky (2005)

Overview : Since the fall of the Iron Curtain an estimated four million children have found themselves living on the streets in the former countries of the Soviet Union. In the streets of Moscow alone there are over 30,000 surviving in this manner at the present time. The makers of the documentary film concentrated on a community of homeless children living hand to mouth in the Moscow train station Leningradsky. Eight-year-old Sasha, eleven-year-old Kristina, thirteen-year-old Misha and ten-year-old Andrej all dream of living in a communal home. They spend winter nights trying to stay warm by huddling together on hot water pipes and most of their days are spent begging. Andrej has found himself here because of disagreements with his family. Kristina was driven into this way of life by the hatred of her stepmother and twelve-year-old Roma by the regular beatings he received from his constantly drunk father. "When it is worst, we try to make money for food by prostitution," admits ...

Release Date : August 5, 2005

Runtime : 35m

Genre : Documentary  

Companies : Forte Andrzej Celinski Hanna Polak

Countries : Poland

Keywords : drug abuse, drug addiction, homelessness, orphan, street urchin, tragic event, railway station, glue sniffing, moscow, russia, woman director, child prostitution, post soviet union, homeless child, death of a child, orphanhood, ethnic minority, separated family, homeless children, minority communities