My Friend From a Care Home

Nina is 28 and has spent most of her life in care homes, but the pandemic changes everything for her, as staying in a care home is no longer safe. Arina, a young professional from Moscow, invites Nina to temporarily live together. When restrictions are finally lifted, Nina has to go back to the care home but after spending lockdown together young women grow very close and settle on a plan they to take Nina out of the institutional system for good. Arina has to make the most controversial decision in her life.

Film is available on BBC iPlayer and YouTube.

DIRECTOR/PRODUCER: Zlata Onufrieva

CAMERA: vLADIMIR komissarov, NIKITA ADISCHEV,

vladimir pirozhkov, zlata onufrieva

EDITOR: zLATA onufrieva, Yulia Umnyakova

Composer: Prokhor Kuznetsov

executive producer: Yulia Umnyakova

Produced by BBC News

News & Reviews

“The young woman trying to adopt her friend”, BBC News, Long Reads
"Zlata Onufrieva on "My Friend From a Care Home", BBC The Fifth Floor program
"How Arina Took Nina From a Care Home to Live Together", BBC News Russian, Podcasts
On July 2021 the film was released on BBC News and BBC World TV as a two-episodes series.
The film was shortlisted at several international film festivals in Russia, USA, Brazil and other countries.