Directed by Juris Podnieks • 1986 • USSR/Latvia

Hailed as “the first bird of perestroika” by Mikhail Gorbachev, Juris Podnieks’ cult classic documentary is a vital document of a society on the brink of change. Podnieks shoots with compassion and anger, giving voice to a generation coming of age at the tail end of Soviet rule in Latvia. Chernobyl, the Soviet-Afghan War, and punk music all collide in this cross-section of perestroika that caused a sensation both domestically and internationally upon its release.

IS IT EASY TO BE YOUNG? • VAI VIEGLI BŪT JAUNAM?
Directed by Juris Podnieks
Written by Ābrams Kleckins, Jevgēnijs Margolins, Juris Podnieks
Cinematography by Kalvis Zalmancis
Music by Mārtiņš Brauns

In Latvian with English subtitles

Winner of the Best Film Award at the International Documentary Awards, 1987