Alex Gilbert Russian: ???? ????????? "?????" ???????; (full name Sasha Alexander Gilbert; 1 April 1992) is a New Zealand adoption advocate. He is known as the founder of the adoption project I'm Adopted which he established in 2015.
Gilbert was born Gusovskoi Alexander Viktorovich in Arkhangelsk, Russia, placed in the local orphanage for the first two years of his life until he was adopted by his New Zealand parents in 1994. He was then raised in Whangarei, New Zealand. He then moved to Auckland in the beginning of 2011.
In 2013 Gilbert started searching for his birth parents in Russia who he had no connection with. He managed to find his birth mother and then eventually his birth father, who didn't know about his existence until he contacted him in 2013. The story of his search for, and finally meeting, his birth parents in Russia first aired on New Zealand TV in 2014.
In 2015 Gilbert created the adoption project I'm Adopted which has helped others adopted around the world share their stories and find their birth parents. The project gives adopted people who are on the search for their birth parents or family the right to search for their lost connections. Since the project started, it has been available in English, Russian and Spanish. In October 2017, Gilbert revisited his orphanage in Arkhangelsk for the first time after leaving in 1994. He also worked and talked with '?????????? ?????' which helps orphans find families in Russia as well as meeting Anna Kuznetsova, the Children's Rights Commissioner for the President of the Russian Federation.
Video Alex Gilbert
Early life
Alex Gilbert was born Gusovskoi Alexander Viktorovich on 1 April 1992 in Arkhangelsk, Russia, to Tatiana Gusovskaia and Mihail Kovkov. Gilbert was placed in a Russian orphanage in Arkhangelsk by his mother Tatiana after he was born. His birth mother had also been placed in an orphanage when she was a child. His birth father Mihail did not know of his existence until 2013 after hearing through a series of online messages that Gilbert was searching for him. His birth father's name was fabricated on Gilbert's birth certificate and adoption papers.
In 1994, Gilbert and his brother Andrei were adopted by his New Zealand parents Mark and Janice Gilbert. His name was legally changed to Sasha Alexander Gilbert in 1994, instead of his name at birth was Guzovskoi Alexander Viktorovich. He grew up in Whangarei, New Zealand and lived there until he was 18 years. He moved to Auckland at the beginning of 2011 to study and work in television.
Maps Alex Gilbert
Career
2013-2014: My Russian Side
After an unsuccessful attempt in 2009, Gilbert decided to start searching again for his birth parents at the beginning of 2013. He used Russian social networking websites and eventually located them. In November 2013, Gilbert travelled to Russia to meet them for the first time. Gilbert first arrived in Moscow and then the next morning he was driven for six hours to see his birth mother who was living in Rybinsk. The following day, Gilbert flew to Saint Petersburg to meet his birth father Mihail for the first time. This trip, and his meetings with his birth parents, was documented and filmed for New Zealand's TV One's Sunday current affairs program. The story aired at the beginning of 2014.
He wrote and released his autobiographical book My Russian Side in 2014 along with an autobiographical documentary film, with the same title, that he wrote, directed and is featured in. It includes in-depth interviews, the background story of his November 2013 journey to Russia, and his meetings with his birth parents.
2015-present: I'm Adopted
In July 2015 Gilbert established the I'm Adopted project, for other adopted people to share their stories. The project is a platform that helps adoptees around the world to share their personal experiences with adoption through social media. The project also works to bring adoptees together to meet through meet ups and events. The project is currently available in English, Russian and Spanish with the help of contributors and translators worldwide. At the end of 2015, Gilbert appeared on Russian 1TV station's Let them Talk programme highlighting the project as well as his adopting New Zealand parents meeting his Russian biological parents for the first time. Since the project began in 2015, it has shared over 300 written or videotaped stories from adoptees around the world. Gilbert also helps organise support groups and meet ups with the I'm Adopted project for adopted people. The project was registered as a New Zealand charitable trust at the beginning of 2017.
In January 2017, New Zealand's Ministry of Social Development announced that it would no longer be reviewing the Bilateral Agreement for adoption between New Zealand and Russia. Inter-country adoptions from Russia to New Zealand had been put on hold since October 2013. Gilbert understood that these are the views of each country and decision to suspend all adoption ties regarding Russian children should be respected after negotiations broke down between the two countries. However Gilbert expressed his disappointment over the decision.
In February 2017, an event was held at the New Zealand Parliament to help raise awareness for I'm Adopted and its projects. Gilbert was one of the key speakers along with the newly appointed I'm Adopted ambassadors Alex Kuch and Sasha Kelly who are also adopted themselves. Wendy Hawke, director of Inter-Country Adoption NZ also spoke at the event. The event was hosted by former New Zealand National MP Todd Barclay.
In October 2017 Gilbert went to Russia to revisit his orphanage in Arkhangelsk. This was the first time Gilbert revisited the orphanage since he left in 1994. Gilbert also talked with various adopted teenagers and parents in Moscow for a charity that focuses on adoption called ?????????? ?????. Gilbert also met Anna Kuznetsova, Children's Rights Commissioner for the President of the Russian Federation which was also headquartered in Moscow.
Gilbert shared a video on his experience of him meeting his birth father for the first time on the social news website Reddit in November 2017. Since it was posted, the video reached over 250,000 views within three days. The video was also posted on the LADbible Facebook page which gained over 1.4 million views overnight. In January 2018, Gilbert appeared as one of the main subjects in a Russian documentary, The Man from Nowhere «??????? ?? ????????» which was Directed by Russian Documentary maker Katerina Gordeeva. The documentary is a part of a film series that was released for the 'Change one Life' charity in Russia. Alex was interviewed for the Documentary when he was in Russia in October 2017. It was filmed in Moscow and Arkhangelsk, with him being interviewed and with the documentary showing footage of him revisiting his orphanage in Arkhangelsk. After the documentary was released, Gilbert then released his second book and autobiography I'm Adopted independently.
2011-present: Television career
As well as being an adoption advocate, Gilbert works as a TV production assistant and camera operator. During his childhood Alex always had an interest for television and film. In 2004, Gilbert started creating his own short videos with a family friends camera when he was 12 years old. He then went to purchase his own camera in 2005 after saving up enough money for one with his paper run job that he had when he was 13 years old.
He went to South Seas Film and Television School in 2011 to study film and television. Gilbert began his professional television career at the start of 2012, working for New Zealand's lifestyle channel Choice TV until the end of 2015. Before this, Gilbert worked as a volunteer assistant when he was in High School for a local television network in his home town, Whangarei. He also a boom operator for an independent New Zealand film in 2009. He also did work experience in 2011 during his year of film and television study for New Zealand's children television morning show What Now.
Gilbert has previously worked on various films and television shows inside New Zealand and other countries including South Korea, the United States and several countries in Europe. He is currently an assistant producer for the TV show The Cafe on New Zealand's Three channel and is also an editor for the production company Stripe Media.
Personal life
Gilbert spends a lot of his own time with photography outside of work as well as filming. He regularly publishes photos of his work to his social media.
Family
After Gilbert was adopted from his Orphanage in Arkhangelsk, Russia in 1994, his New Zealand parents Mark and Janice Gilbert then raised him and his brother Andrei Gilbert in Whangarei, New Zealand. Janice Gilbert was raised in Invercargill, New Zealand and Mark Gilbert was raised in Whangarei, New Zealand. They both met in the early 1980s in London to then marrying in 1990. Gilbert moved out of his family home at the end of 2010 to then study Film and Television in Auckland at South Seas Film and Television School.
Relationship to his biological parents
Gilbert has mentioned about the relationship with both his biological parents in Russia. He finds it difficult to keep in contact with his birth mother Tatiana Gusovskaia, due to her alcohol abuse, but keeps in constant contact with his birth father Mihail Kovkov. His birth parents were both in a short relationship in the early 1990s. When Tatiana fell she was pregnant with Gilbert in late 1991, she did not tell Mihail and stopped all communication with him. She then left Arkhangelsk, Russia, after Alex was born. Both his birth parents saw each other again in 2015. The first time since the early 1990s. Both Tatiana and Mihail also met with Gilbert's New Zealand parents in 2015 for the first time.
Relationships
Gilbert met Russian native Margarita Subach in early 2015. Gilbert dated her from April 2015 until mid 2017.
Books
- My Russian Side (??? ??????? ?????) (2014) ISBN 978-1-32-002582-9
- I'm Adopted (2018) ISBN 978-1983519000
Filmography
(Titles that are related to his adoption advocacy)
Others (Media career not related to his adoption advocacy)
References
External links
- Alex Gilberts Official website
- Alex Gilbert on IMDb
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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