Generation Emigration, a documentary film produced by Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty’s (RFE/RL) Moldovan Service, was recently recognized as Best Short Documentary in the 2017 European Short Film Festival.
The film, co-produced by Natalia Sergheev, a former Vaclav Havel Journalism Fellow who now reports for the Service, and Alexander Blumberg, a former RFE/RL employee, explores the phenomenon of mass youth emigration from Moldova.
Crippled by corruption and bureaucracy, the post-Soviet republic has little to offer its brightest young minds, and is losing those who are most capable of driving the changes their country needs.
Oana Serafim, Director of RFE/RL’s Moldovan Service, hailed the attention received by the film, saying “it is a big reward to see the creativity and success of young people who have been supported by RFE/RL and my colleagues.” She called the film an important story for the world, “nicely and emotionally told.”
As part of the award, the film was screened in October in Strasbourg, France, in an event sponsored by the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe. The film received the Young ADAMI Media Prize in 2016.
