Begun in 1963, 7 Up is a documentary film series directed by Michael Apted that follows the lives of 14 British people of different races, genders, and socio-economic backgrounds. Every seven years, the documentarians attempt to reconnect with the subjects and catch up on their lives in the intervening time since the last documentary. The series is premised on the theory that given a child of age seven one can predict how the rest of their life will unfold.

Attempts have been made to repeat the series with subjects in the United States, the Soviet Union, and South Africa.

List of films in the British series

  • 7 Up (1963, Michael Apted)
  • Seven Plus Seven, (1970, Michael Apted)
  • 21 Up (1977, Michael Apted)
  • 28 Up (1985, Michael Apted)
  • 35 Up (1991, Michael Apted)
  • 42 Up (1998, Michael Apted)

Other similar documentaries

  • Age 7 in the USSR (1990, Sergei Miroshnichenko)
  • 14 Up Born in the USSR (1998, Sergei Miroshnichenko)
  • 7 Up in South Africa (1992, Angus Gibson)
  • Age 7 in America (1991, Phil Joanou)
  • 14 Up in America (1998, Phil Joanou)