The Fundy Film Society

Pokazatelnyy protsess: Istoriya Pussy Riot (Pussy Riot: A Punk Prayer)

Pokazatelnyy protsess: Istoriya Pussy Riot (Pussy Riot: A Punk Prayer)

Filmed over the course of six months, this film by Mike Lerner and Maxim Pozdorovkin tells the incredible story of three young women: Nadia (Nadezhda Tolokonnikova), Masha (Maria Alyokhina) and Katia (Yekatarina Samutsevich). 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 into 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.

“They’re not John, Paul and Ringo, but Nadia, Masha and Katia — aka Pussy Riot — are now among the most famous rockers in the world. In Pussy Riot: A Punk Prayer, they also appear to be the bravest… the young women’s vulnerability and defiance make for stirring viewing.” (John Anderson, Variety)

“Despite some shortcomings, Pussy Riot remains a significant contribution to the ongoing dialogue assessing the current state of Russian society and culture, as well as the sometimes tenuous status of free speech in the free world.” (Justin Lowe, The Hollywood Reporter)

“Mike Lerner and Maxim Pozdorovkin’s doc, which charts their trial for blasphemy, is a compelling study of suffering for your art.”  (Simon Kinnear, Total Film)