Sisters from Siberia

Aroview: Wellington City Councillor Stephanie Cook is the subject of this insightful documentary on her successful adoption of sisters Katya and Nadia, who leave Siberia for a new life and culture – just up the road in Aro Valley.

Single-handedly put together by dir. Russell Campbell, this doco has few technical frills, but rewards through close observation of the girls over several years which sees them fascinatingly evolve and flourish. As well as tributing Ms. Cook's courageous and life-changing gambit, this also rounds out a broader essay on the Russian-immigrant experience through a cast of charming characters drawn from the wider network of "Russian Kiwis".