"Heidi, Rebecca, Paul, Monica, Justin and Britt are six very different children from the Northwest. Yet, they all have one thing in common--they love to tell stories. In the spring of 1986, these children and twenty-one others had a special opportunity--to share their enjoyment of storytelling with audiences in the Soviet Union. Led by professional storyteller Michale Gabriel, twenty-seven Northwest children ranging in age from ten to fifteen traveled to Moscow, Odessa and Leningrad as part of Young Storytellers for Peace, a unique project launched by Gabriel. "The group's experiences in the Soviet Union are captured in YOUNG STORYTELLERS IN RUSSIA. The documentary focuses on the six young people before and during their Soviet tour. Their eighteen-day itinerary in Russia--highlighted in cinema verite--included visits to English-speaking schools, Pioneer Palaces, private homes, and joint concerts between storytelling children and their Soviet counterparts, who also told stories, danced, played instruments and sang. The language barrier was minimal, since several of the American children spoke some Russian and had learned a number of stories in Russian. In addition, many of the Soviet children spoke English. "Close friendships developed between the children of the two countries. One of the most poignant moments in YOUNG STORYTELLERS IN RUSSIA features the kids discussing their mutual desire for peace and lasting friendship. As one Soviet Intourist guide noted, 'The children can teach all of us grown-ups a lesson in how to make friends.'"--1986 Peabody Awards entry form.
