Russian Dolls: Sex Trade

Russian Dolls: Sex Trade (Dutch: Matroesjka's, meaning Matryoshka doll, also known as Matrioshki or Matrёshki) is a Flemish drama series about a group of women from Lithuania and Russia who are taken to Belgium by a gang involved in the sex trade to work as sex slaves. The series starts in Lithuania, where the girls are chosen and where they have to sign a contract in Greek, which they cannot understand. The gang, under the lead of Ray Van Mechelen, takes the girls to Cyprus and from there they are taken to Club 69 in Belgium to work. Russian Dolls is sponsored by the Flemish Audiovisual Fund (Vlaams Audiovisueel Fonds).

Russian Dolls is produced and directed by Guy Goossens and Marc Punt.

Because of explicit scenes of sex and violence, the program is not appropriate for people under 16 years of age (according to Dutch and Belgian ratings).

General overview
Although based on the problems associated with the sex trade, the series is not so much a documentary or engaged criticism of those problems as it is a source of entertainment. However, director Marc Punt has said that it wouldn't be terrible if the series made people aware of those problems. Already, the series is used to warn women in the former Eastern Bloc of the practices associated with the sex trade.

The program was first broadcast on the Belgian channels Canal+ (now known as "Prime") and VTM. After ten episodes, Russian Dolls received a viewership in excess of 1.1 million. Other countries picked up the show as well. A deal was negotiated between VTM, Independent Productions, and several foreign commercial broadcasters to make a second season. The second season finished shooting in October 2007 and aired in Belgium in 2008. Thus far, the series has twenty episodes.

The British composer David Julyan provided the musical score for the series. The theme song is "Post-Modern Sleaze" by British group Sneaker Pimps. The song from Season 2 Episode 5 playing in Bulgaria is Tazi Vecher by Sonq Nemska.

A second season titled Matrioshki 2 was released in 2007 and continues to deal with human trafficking for prostitution in Europe. The series takes place three years after the first serial, when the traffickers from the first season are released from jail and go to Thailand. This time it deals not only with prostitution of eastern European girls, but also with trafficking of Asian girls brought back for prostitution in Europe, sometimes to help their families.

International broadcasts
The first season can be seen in the following countries: Germany, Turkey, the Netherlands, Great Britain, France, Spain, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Italy, Finland, Sweden, Australia, Russia, Serbia, Brazil, Hungary, Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, Montenegro, Estonia, Albania and Chile. In Portugal it airs on Fox Crime. In Turkey and Italy show airs on FX. In Mexico, the series goes out on Once TV. The Film Zone shows the first ten episodes in some countries from Latin America.

Cast

 * Peter Van Den Begin - Raymond "Ray" van Mechelen; runs Studio 69.
 * Eugenia Hirivskaya - Kalinka
 * Axel Daeseleire - Jan Verplancke
 * Tom Van Dyck - Vincent Dockx; became paralysed when Ray pushed him, after trying to make Kalinka give him a blowjob. At the end of the first season he died.
 * Žemyna Ašmontaitė - Daria
 * Indrė Jaraitė - Inesa
 * Luk Wyns - Eddy Stoefs; the manager of Studio 69 and is very keen of his money.
 * Veerle De Jonghe - Esther Van De Walle
 * Lyudmila Lipner - Debora
 * Ailika Kremer - Eva
 * Lyubov Tolkalina - Olga
 * Marc Van Eeghem - Marc Camps
 * Stany Crets - Clem De Donder
 * Lucas Van den Eynde - reporter Nico Maes
 * Manou Kersting - Danny Bols
 * Frank Aendenboom - John Dockx; father of Vincent and uncle to Ray. He appears to be the big boss of Studio 69.
 * Natalya Reva - Inga
 * Hilde Heijnen - Laura Keyser
 * Svetlana Abolenkina - Luna
 * Zorina Tanasova - Irina
 * Vilma Raubaitė - Kasandra
 * Saartje Vandendriessche - Sita
 * Wim Opbrouck - Mike Simons
 * Peter Thyssen - Rudi Sierens
 * Eric Godon - Jean-Paul

The show has also included several guest roles Ludo Hellincx (Nelson Nilis), Karel Deruwe (officer), Jan Decleir (Wim Wilson's father), Chris Lomme (Monique Wilson), and Warre Borgmans (Dokter Van Looy).