Director: Shira Pinson
Producer: Sarah Tierney
Editor: Nigel Galt
Original Composition: James Burrell
Production Company: Clarity Productions Ltd.
Think you know Europe? Think again… Much of Eastern Europe has been devastated by the rapid transition from communism to capitalism. Fifteen years since independence from the former USSR, the Ukraine – Europe’s second largest country – is struggling to regain economic and social stability. One little-known consequence is the estimated 1,000,000 children currently living homeless on Ukraine’s streets…
“Flowers Don’t Grow Here”, told through the eyes of a gang of Kiev’s street kids, offers an intimate and uncompromising portrayal of young people paying the ultimate price for political reform. Young mothers, united siblings, close friends and sworn enemies form a troubling underworld of society, governed by their own rules, and haunted by prostitution, crime, violence and murder… modern, developed “New Europe” are about to be shattered…
The Ukraine, the second largest country in Europe, has been striving for economic and social stability since its independence from the USSR in 1991. The rapid transition from communism to capitalism has left 60% of the population living below the poverty line, facing unemployment and severe poverty. The resulting state of economic fragility and fatigue has produced widespread alcohol abuse, crime and, in many cases, the disintegration of families. One of the most startling and troubling consequences is the disproportionately high level of child homelessness. Current estimates are show that there are currently 1,000,000 children living on the streets in Ukraine alone…
“Flowers Don’t Grow Here” was filmed undercover over four months in Autumn 2004 and tells the story of an eclectic gang of street kids in Kiev, the capital city of Ukraine. Criminals because oftheir social status, these children receive no medical care, shelter or education. Substance abuse, prostitution, crime and violence are commonplace. And yet, within this underworld of society, is a community who defy all stereotypes. As young parents, united siblings and close friends, they form a strong and structured community.
