Reflections on Film Culture
pussy riot poster

Pussy Riot- A Punk Prayer (2013)

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?

CAST AND CREW
DIRECTOR : Mike Lerner, Maxim Pozdorovkin
CAST : Mariya Alyokhina, Yekaterina Samutsevich, Nadezhda Tolokonnikova

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AWARDS / NOTABLES
  • Winner - British Independent Film Awards 2013 - Best Documentary
  • Winner - Sundance Film Festival 2013 - Special Jury Prize - World Cinema - Documentary Mike Lerner Maxim Pozdorovkin
  • Nominee - Sundance Film Festival 2013 - Grand Jury Prize - World Cinema - Documentary Mike Lerner Maxim Pozdorovkin

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