Pussy Riot: A Punk Prayer(2013)
dir. Mike Lerner & Maxim Pozdorovkin
Three punks, one cathedral, a show trial.
Where to watch: Free: Tubi and Pluto (with ads), Kanopy (library card); subscription Fandor; rent $2.99-3.99 on Amazon, Apple TV (JustWatch US, checked 2026-08-14, so re-check). Verify.Letterboxd ↗
The documentary of the 2012 trial of three members of Pussy Riot, who were charged with hooliganism after a punk performance in a Moscow cathedral. It follows the court proceedings, their families and the media storm, with footage the group shot themselves. The film shows how a state and a church turn a 40-second protest into a national crisis.
Why it’s here
It's a punk protest watched by a whole country. What's punk is the defendants' refusal to apologize, and their families who stand by them. What's pedagogical is the courtroom: how a trial becomes theater, and who writes the charges. Pairs with Pussy Riot! A Punk Prayer for Freedom (suggested today), Citizenfour and The Future Is History. Note: the group's views and later work are debated; this film stops at the 2012 trial. English and Russian with subtitles.
Where This Film Lives
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