Children of the Decree (2005)

Children of the Decree (2005) poster

Procreation is the social duty of all fertile women, was the political thinking during the 1960s and 1970s in Romania. In 1966, Ceaucescu issued Decree 770, in which he forbade abortion for all women unless they were over forty or were already taking care of four children. All forms of contraception were totally banned. The New Romanian Man was born. By 1969, the country had a million babies more than the previous average. Romanian society was rapidly changing. By using very interesting archival footage and excerpts from old fiction films and by interviewing famous personalities from that time – gynecologists or mothers who were part of the new society - the director revives this period of tremendous oppression of personal freedom. Many deaths were caused by the mere fact that women, including wives of secret Romanian agents, famous TV presenters, and actresses, had to undergo illegal abortions. Many women were jailed for having them.

Director: Razvan Georgescu, Florin Iepan
Genre: Documentary
Runtime: 67 min
Release Date:

Cast

Screenplay

Cinematography: Peter Reuther, Carlos Fuchs
Editing: Wolfgang Lehmann, Michael Bogar
Production: ARTE, Televiziunea Română, WestEnd Films, Pro TV Produktion GmbH
Country: Germany, Romania, United Kingdom
Language: Deutsch, English, Română
Original Language: ro

Keywords

communism, romania, population control, abortion, forced abortion

More Films by Director: Razvan Georgescu, Florin Iepan
More Films in Genre: Documentary

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Children of the Decree about?
Procreation is the social duty of all fertile women, was the political thinking during the 1960s and 1970s in Romania. In 1966, Ceaucescu issued Decree 770, in which he forbade abortion for all women unless they were over forty or were already taking care of four children. All forms of contraception were totally banned. The New Romanian Man was born. By 1969, the country had a million babies more than the previous average. Romanian society was rapidly changing. By using very interesting archival footage and excerpts from old fiction films and by interviewing famous personalities from that time – gynecologists or mothers who were part of the new society - the director revives this period of tremendous oppression of personal freedom. Many deaths were caused by the mere fact that women, including wives of secret Romanian agents, famous TV presenters, and actresses, had to undergo illegal abortions. Many women were jailed for having them.
Who directed Children of the Decree?
Children of the Decree was directed by Razvan Georgescu, Florin Iepan.
Who stars in Children of the Decree?
Children of the Decree stars Delia Bedeanu, Paula Ciupitu, Zina Dumitrescu, Adrian Sangeorzan.
How long is Children of the Decree?
Children of the Decree has a runtime of 1h 7m (67 minutes).
What genre is Children of the Decree?
Children of the Decree is a Documentary film.
Where was Children of the Decree produced?
Children of the Decree was produced in Germany, Romania, United Kingdom.