Eighty years ago, Soviet authorities began a systematic effort to destroy Russian religious and cultural traditions in order to secure loyalty to the state. Today, a handful of folklorists are in a race against time to uncover and preserve true Russian culture.
Traveling though the countryside, often at their own expense, students and scholars are visiting elderly villagers, recording their songs, dances and stories and collecting traditional costumes.
Russia: Hidden Memory takes viewers on a journey through remote areas seldom visited by outsiders. As a dedicated Russian folklorist, Galina Sysoeva teams with American folklorist, Deirdre Paulsen, to search out the few survivors who remember the "pure" rituals and celebrations that were performed for centuries and capture them for future generations. --(Synopsis from ldsvideo.com)