Disco and Atomic War

Disco and Atomic War is a light-hearted reflection on the influence of Western pop culture on the dissolution of the Soviet Union.

Working from childhood memories of growing up in Estonia during the 1970s, Jaak Kilmi recalls the subversive and exotic pleasures of "decadent" American TV programs such as Dallas and Knight Rider, which arrived behind the Iron Curtain via Finnish television. Estonian audiences proved to be just as susceptible to the rise of disco as those in the West, leading Soviet officials to create sanctioned dance shows, which were ultimately spoofed by Finnish TV and then broadcast back across the curtain. (80 mins., video)