film

Pussy Riot - A Punk Prayer

2013

Completed

Bertha Journalism

Better Futures

Directors

Mike Lerner & Maxim Pozdorovkin

 

Production support

 

Film Details

Runtime: 88 minutes

Format: Feature length film

 

Doc Society Involvement

Docsoc helped with Production

 

Three young women face seven years in a Russian prison for a satirical performance in a Moscow cathedral. But who is really on trial in a case that has gripped the nation and the world beyond, three young artists or the society they live in?

Long synopsis

Filmed over the course of six months, this film tells the incredible story of three young women: Nadia, Masha and Katia.

As members of the feminist art collective Pussy Riot, they performed a 40 second "punk prayer" inside Russia's main cathedral. This performance led to their arrest on charges of religious hatred and culminated in a trial that has reverberated around the world and transformed the face of Russian society forever.

With unparalleled access and exclusive footage, this film looks at the real people behind their now famous colourful balaclavas.

Following the bizarre and intricate twists of the trial, we observe three young women fight back against a justice system that seems impervious to logic. From their family and friends we learn what transformed these women from political activists in to modern day icons. As Nadia, Masha, and Katia defend their convictions from a cage inside the courtroom, those Pussy Riot members still at liberty plan new guerilla performances and cultivate a protest movement across the globe.

Moving from farce to tragedy and back again, the film explores how political and religious forces contrived to make an example out of three young artists who stepped out of line. But with Nadia, Masha, and Katia, Russia's ruling powers got more than they bargained for. Are you a ready for a Pussy Riot?

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Subjects

Activism Art & Culture Society

Awards & Festivals

Awards

Sundance - Special Jury Award (2024)
BIFA Best Documentary (2024)
EMMY Best Music Award (2024)

Reviews

The absorbing day-by-day of the Pussy Riot trial, and an intimate meeting with three Pussy Riot women unmasked.

Naive they may be, but they have courage – certainly compared to the swaggering, hatchet-faced male bullies ranged against them.

Gallery

Pussy Riot - A Punk Prayer
Pussy Riot - A Punk Prayer
Pussy Riot - A Punk Prayer