A new television series about the Russian feminist protest art collective Pussy Riot is in the works.
Nadya Tolokonnikova, the artist and activist who co-founded the group in 2011 to protest Russia’s governance under Vladimir Putin, has reached a deal with STX Entertainment to develop the limited scripted series based on her forthcoming memoir.
In a statement, Tolokonnikova said: “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. 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?” Tolokonnikova continued.
“Today I’m on Russia’s most wanted list, labeled as a foreign agent, and recently was arrested in absentia by Russian court. 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.”
Tolokonnikova before a Moscow court hearing in August 2012— (Natalia Koleskikova/AFP/GettyImages)
The series will be the first scripted project to tell the story of Pussy Riot, following the 2013 documentaries Pussy Riot: A Punk Prayer and Pussy versus Putin.
According to a press release, the series “will explore the story of how a young girl from Siberia took on the world’s most powerful dictator – the origins and formation of the art collective; the actions of Nadya and fellow young women against Putin in Moscow; their arrest after the famous ‘Punk Prayer’ action; their trial, conviction, and jail sentence; and the protests they conducted at the Sochi Olympics after their release.”
Executive producer Sophie Watts added in a statement: “We are incredibly excited to make a show as courageous and daring as its subject. 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.”
Last year, Tolokonnikova spoke to The Independent about her debut mixtape Matriarchy Now and said she felt the rest of the world was finally beginning to understand why she first felt the need to protest against Putin. “I think they understand him pretty clearly now,” she said. “He’s just a bloody dictator and a terrorist.”
