Pussy Riot’s Protests and Prison Sentences Set for Series Based on Upcoming Memoir

The feminist protest art collective Pussy Riot will serve as the subjects of a forthcoming limited series currently in development at STX Entertainment. The scripted series will be based on the upcoming memoir from founder Nadya Tolokonnikova, which traces the group’s origin story and subsequent run-ins with the law.

“I was a broke 20-year-old artist studying philosophy, he was one of the most powerful, wealthy and dangerous men on Earth. In 2011 I went against him, damn the consequences,” Tolokonnikova said in a statement. “After years of imprisonment, harassment, attacks, trauma I am ready to share this story. My dream is to see my country peaceful, democratic and diverse, where gay people are not being stoned to death. Is it too much to ask? Does it make me an extremist?”

Pussy Riot’s story spans their 2012 “Punk Prayer” protest against Vladimir Putin inside of a Russian cathedral, their subsequent trial and imprisonment, their 2014 detainment in Sochi near the site of the Winter Olympics, and most recently Tolokonnikova’s placement on Russia’s most wanted criminals list. Just last year, Pussy Riot‘s Maria Alyokhina escaped Russia while under house arrest by disguising herself as a food courier.

“Today I’m on Russia’s most wanted list, labeled as a foreign agent, and recently was arrested in absentia by Russian court,” Tolokonnikova continued. “My relatives and friends had been poisoned, my government wants me dead, but I don’t regret anything. If Pussy Riot’s story can inspire a new generation of rebels, it was all not in vain.”
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Sophie Watts will serve as executive producer of the series alongside STX’s Robert Simonds and Sam Brown, and Unicorn DAO co-founder John Caldwell. Watts described the upcoming release as being “as courageous and daring as its subject,” adding: “Nadya’s life is nothing short of extraordinary. A gripping, real-life spy life, filled with heroic, relentless art actions and activism, this series will show how a persevering artistic spirit can change the world.”