‘School’ is often compared to British ‘Skins’ but the principal difference is that ‘School’ depicts real-life stories in a home video format reflecting the whole bunch of shit things Russian children have to wrestle – from teachers corruption to illegal abortion and prostitution.

The director, Valeriya Gay-Germanika, is only 24 but she has her documentary TV series being screened in prime-time on National TV across the whole country.

Valeriya Gay-Germanika

You’d never see anything like this on present day’s TV which is wholly controlled by the government. Many people think that this is sort of the first portent symbolizing that we’re finally shifting towards transparency and freedom of speech with a young Russian blonde film-director on the top of this wave.