Children Underground
Directed by Edet Belzberg, Produced by Edet Belzberg, Sheilah Kitt McKinnon, Michel Negroponte, Alan Oxman, Edited by Jonathan Oppenheim
Synopsis:
This Oscar-nominated documentary explores the tragic policy decision by Romanian dictator Nicolei Ceaucescu to outlaw contraceptives and encourage his impoverished populace to have more children. Thousands of children were born to broken or dysfunctional families in a nation mired in political and economic instability, resulting in a large and rapidly growing population of homeless children (more than 20,000 estimated) in the city of Bucharest.
Reviews:
“Easily one of the most astonishing and engaging cinematic works of the past decade…”
– Docudrama.com
"An unflinching look at an ongoing tragedy"
- LA Weekly
“…raw…”
– Stephen Holden, The New York Times
“…positively disturbing…”
- copacetic-zine.com
“These stories need to be told…”
– Mike Pinsky, DVD Verdict
Click here to view NPR Review
Awards:
2002 Academy Award Nomination; Winner, Special Jury Prize, Sundance Film Festival, 2001; Winner, Gotham Award, 2001; Winner, Best Feature, International Documentary Association
Film Festivals:
Sundance Film Festival, 2001; Hollywood Film Festival, 2001; Karlovy Vary Film Festival, 2001; Human Rights Watch International Film Festival, 2002; One World Film Festival, 2002; The Global Fund For Children 2004 Film Festival
