In Russia, thousands of young girls dream of finding fame and fortune in the modeling industry. Honing their skills from an early age, they work closely with professional photographers and talent agents in hopes of breaking through in a competitive environment. But her ambitions are not in the interest of her home country or the glitzy fashion-centric world of New York or Los Angeles. She has set her sights on the Far East, where there is a huge demand for her unique beauty. Siberia’s Next Supermodels focuses on this nascent industry and the challenges some of the newest models face in training.
From the catwalks of fashion designers to the pages of glamor magazines, consumers in countries such as China, Japan and South Korea are drawn to the exotic beauty of Siberian beauty. The look that drives the market is very specific. Each model must have a baby face, fair skin, sharp features, and well-defined facial bones.
Many of these girls came from humble beginnings and never left their families or the comfort and safety of their homes. Once recruited, they are sent to the center of a busy metropolis like Shanghai, where they eat very little and work from early morning until dusk. There is no guarantee of a job, and they face stiff competition to finally advance. You pay everything along the way and are forced to live with the humiliation of being nothing more than a number on the audition sheet. Regardless, they remain fearless as they strive to pursue a glamorous life far from the only one they’ve ever known.
Few achieve the careers they aspire to, and many return home with debt at the end of their journey. It’s a harsh reality that’s common across all facets of show business, and that seems all too familiar to many viewers. But the film achieves a level of relevance and immediacy by engaging with the personal struggles of each of its major themes.
Siberia’s next generation of supermodels does a great job of portraying a world that is demeaning, grim and alluring.
Directed by: Billy Dosanjh
