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,...
“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,...
- 12/6/2023
- by Larisha Paul
- Rollingstone.com
Pussy Riot are taking Maria Alyokhina’s “Riot Days” tour to North America this fall.
Based on Alyokhina’s 2017 memoir of the same name, the “Riot Days” tour combines live music, theatre, and video as the Pussy Riot member recounts her experiences protesting with the Russian punk collective — and facing imprisonment for the group’s guerrilla tactics. The activist has taken the show across the globe in recent years and won the Woody Guthrie prize in the States for its anti-fascist politics.
Beginning November 1st in Montreal, the fall 2023 trek takes Pussy Riot — in this iteration, featuring Alyokhina, Diana Burkot, Olga Broisova, and Alina Petrova — to Toronto, Chicago, Denver, Seattle, Los Angeles, Austin, Nashville, DC, and more before wrapping up December 8th in Brooklyn. Liza Anne, Sloppy Jane, Death Valley Girls, Pinkshift, and Thick provide support on select dates.
Checkout the complete tour itinerary for the “Riot Days” Fall 2023 North American tour below.
Based on Alyokhina’s 2017 memoir of the same name, the “Riot Days” tour combines live music, theatre, and video as the Pussy Riot member recounts her experiences protesting with the Russian punk collective — and facing imprisonment for the group’s guerrilla tactics. The activist has taken the show across the globe in recent years and won the Woody Guthrie prize in the States for its anti-fascist politics.
Beginning November 1st in Montreal, the fall 2023 trek takes Pussy Riot — in this iteration, featuring Alyokhina, Diana Burkot, Olga Broisova, and Alina Petrova — to Toronto, Chicago, Denver, Seattle, Los Angeles, Austin, Nashville, DC, and more before wrapping up December 8th in Brooklyn. Liza Anne, Sloppy Jane, Death Valley Girls, Pinkshift, and Thick provide support on select dates.
Checkout the complete tour itinerary for the “Riot Days” Fall 2023 North American tour below.
- 9/19/2023
- by Carys Anderson
- Consequence - Music
Offering a singular perspective on Russia’s current pariah status in much of the world is Gaukur Ulfarsson’s “Soviet Barbara,” probably the most enjoyable — as opposed to depressing — documentary involving the invasion of Ukraine you’re likely to see. It focuses on Icelandic multimedia artist Ragnar Kjartansson’s preparation for exhibits that would open a major new museum in Moscow.
That launch proves fatefully ill-timed in terms of larger events, however, even as his splashiest custom creation provides ironic commentary on recent Russian history by reprising an American TV soap opera that had been an unlikely imported smash in the nation’s immediate post-ussr years. The colorful intersection between art, ideology, patronage and politics should appeal to a wide range of nonfiction outlets and programmers.
The power of art to enflame emotions is illustrated straight off by Kjartansson’s discussion of a famous 19th-century oil by Ilya Repin that...
That launch proves fatefully ill-timed in terms of larger events, however, even as his splashiest custom creation provides ironic commentary on recent Russian history by reprising an American TV soap opera that had been an unlikely imported smash in the nation’s immediate post-ussr years. The colorful intersection between art, ideology, patronage and politics should appeal to a wide range of nonfiction outlets and programmers.
The power of art to enflame emotions is illustrated straight off by Kjartansson’s discussion of a famous 19th-century oil by Ilya Repin that...
- 4/30/2023
- by Dennis Harvey
- Variety Film + TV
Russian authorities have put Pussy Riot founding member Nadezhda “Nadya” Tolokonnikova on its most wanted list for criminal suspects, The Associated Press reports.
On Wednesday, a Russian news outlet called Mediazona discovered an entry for Tolokonnikova in the Russian Interior Ministry’s database of wanted individuals that states the artist faces criminal charges. The entry doesn’t specify what those charges are, but Pitchfork obtained court document translations from Pussy Riot’s team stating that Tolokonnikova is being investigated for Instagram posts that the Russian government deemed offensive to Christianity. The translation also cites “an expression of obvious disrespect,” referring to an Nft Pussy Riot sold in 2021 that depicted the Virgin Mary in the form of a vagina.
Tolokonnikova’s entry on Russia’s wanted list arrives just weeks after she participated in an art installation called Putin’s Ashes, in which a group of women burn a portrait of...
On Wednesday, a Russian news outlet called Mediazona discovered an entry for Tolokonnikova in the Russian Interior Ministry’s database of wanted individuals that states the artist faces criminal charges. The entry doesn’t specify what those charges are, but Pitchfork obtained court document translations from Pussy Riot’s team stating that Tolokonnikova is being investigated for Instagram posts that the Russian government deemed offensive to Christianity. The translation also cites “an expression of obvious disrespect,” referring to an Nft Pussy Riot sold in 2021 that depicted the Virgin Mary in the form of a vagina.
Tolokonnikova’s entry on Russia’s wanted list arrives just weeks after she participated in an art installation called Putin’s Ashes, in which a group of women burn a portrait of...
- 3/29/2023
- by Abby Jones
- Consequence - Music
Protest art collective Pussy Riot have been awarded the 2023 Woody Guthrie Prize, which is given every year to an artist who exemplifies the late singer’s “spirit and work by speaking for the less fortunate” and “serving as a positive force for social change.”
Though Pussy Riot don’t make anything close to folk music, the Russian feminist protest and performance art group certainly fit the bill, as founding member Nadya Tolokonnikova pointed out in a statement. “It feels fitting to be awarded in the spirit of Woody, I think he would love Pussy Riot’s anti-fascist message,” she said. “We don’t really do folk, but we don’t really do punk either, we simply scream and protest as loud as we can, and hope we can show others they can do the same.”
She continued, “Like Woody said, any fool can make something complicated, our message is clear and simple.
Though Pussy Riot don’t make anything close to folk music, the Russian feminist protest and performance art group certainly fit the bill, as founding member Nadya Tolokonnikova pointed out in a statement. “It feels fitting to be awarded in the spirit of Woody, I think he would love Pussy Riot’s anti-fascist message,” she said. “We don’t really do folk, but we don’t really do punk either, we simply scream and protest as loud as we can, and hope we can show others they can do the same.”
She continued, “Like Woody said, any fool can make something complicated, our message is clear and simple.
- 3/23/2023
- by Eddie Fu
- Consequence - Music
In the mid-Nineties in Norilsk, Siberia, seven-year-old Nadya Tolokonnikova dreamt of being an advertising executive — drawing up pitches for Fanta and Coca-Cola commercials.
It might be a surprisingly corporate dream for the future face of Russia’s Pussy Riot, but nothing is quite what it seems in Siberia. Even today, Norilsk is a “closed city” — closed off from foreign visitors, with any movement heavily monitored by the government.
“It’s detached from everything else,” she says. “We don’t have a summer. It’s dark as hell. You can’t...
It might be a surprisingly corporate dream for the future face of Russia’s Pussy Riot, but nothing is quite what it seems in Siberia. Even today, Norilsk is a “closed city” — closed off from foreign visitors, with any movement heavily monitored by the government.
“It’s detached from everything else,” she says. “We don’t have a summer. It’s dark as hell. You can’t...
- 1/3/2023
- by Kurt Mcvey
- Rollingstone.com
Pussy Riot will release their debut mixtape, Matriarchy Now, on Aug. 5 via Neon Gold Records. The Russian protest art collective previewed the release with a new single, “Plastic,” which features ILoveMakonnen.
The pop-laden song arrives alongside a music video directed by Haley Bowman that sees the musicians formed of literal plastic, evoking punk rock Barbie dolls.
The forthcoming mixtape features a collaboration with Tove Lo, who executive produced the project, as well as collaborations with Salem Ilese, Kito, Hudson Mohawke, Slayyyter, Big Freedia, and Phoebe Ryan.
“Plastic” follow Pussy Riot...
The pop-laden song arrives alongside a music video directed by Haley Bowman that sees the musicians formed of literal plastic, evoking punk rock Barbie dolls.
The forthcoming mixtape features a collaboration with Tove Lo, who executive produced the project, as well as collaborations with Salem Ilese, Kito, Hudson Mohawke, Slayyyter, Big Freedia, and Phoebe Ryan.
“Plastic” follow Pussy Riot...
- 7/8/2022
- by Emily Zemler
- Rollingstone.com
"Revolution or media noise?" Cleopatra Entertainment has released a new trailer for a documentary about the controversial, radical rock band Pussy Riot, titled Act & Punishment. The film profiles their activist careers, by following them closely since they were released from prison in 2012. It examines "their evolution from mere political activists through their formation of a punk rock band destined to bring their message of revolution to the masses and beyond." Pussy Riot is also launching a tour in the Us in 2018 right after this doc premieres on VOD, and it's all tied together to help bring more attention to these badass ladies. The film stars actual Pussy Riot members Nadezhda Tolokonnikova, Maria Alyokhina, and Yekaterina Samutsevich. This looks like a wild, bold look at how much noise they made and the importance of troublemakers today. Here's the official Us trailer for Yevgeni Mitta's documentary Act & Punishment, direct from YouTube:...
- 12/13/2017
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
Exclusive: Cleopatra Entertainment has acquired worldwide rights outside Russian territories to Act & Punishment, the music documentary about Russian activists and punk rockers Pussy Riot. The company plans a November theatrical bow in the U.S., in conjunction with a soundtrack release and a U.S. tour by the band to promote the film. The feature-length pic written and directed by Evgeny Mitta features Pussy Riot bandmembers Nadezhda Tolokonnikova, Mariya Alyokhina and…...
- 4/5/2017
- Deadline
35 projects will be presented to 70 potential partners.
The 11th edition of Dok Leipzig’s Co-Production Meeting (October 26-27) will have a focus on Nordic documentary projects.
The selected Nordic projects include:
Napafilms’ Boys Who Like Girls and Kinocompany’s The Unforgiven (both Finland)Vilda Bomben Film’s Become The Media and Gründer Film’s The Filmdubber in Dar es Salaam (both Sweden)Piraya Film’s Kamera Haram (Norway)Hansen og Pedersen’s Mercedes Man (Denmark, in co-production with Germany)
In total, 35 projects – from the USA to Vietnam - will be presented over the two days to around 70 potential partners, including co-producers, broadcasters, sales agents, distributors, and funders.
Saxonia Entertainment, whose credits include Vitaly Mansky’s Pipeline and Alexander Gentelev’s Putin’s Games, will be pitching the German-Russian documentary portrait Nemtsov, while Aheste Film and Les Films d’Antoine will be in Leipzig with the Turkish project Mr. Gay Syria and Kabul-based Afghanistan DocHouse will be looking...
The 11th edition of Dok Leipzig’s Co-Production Meeting (October 26-27) will have a focus on Nordic documentary projects.
The selected Nordic projects include:
Napafilms’ Boys Who Like Girls and Kinocompany’s The Unforgiven (both Finland)Vilda Bomben Film’s Become The Media and Gründer Film’s The Filmdubber in Dar es Salaam (both Sweden)Piraya Film’s Kamera Haram (Norway)Hansen og Pedersen’s Mercedes Man (Denmark, in co-production with Germany)
In total, 35 projects – from the USA to Vietnam - will be presented over the two days to around 70 potential partners, including co-producers, broadcasters, sales agents, distributors, and funders.
Saxonia Entertainment, whose credits include Vitaly Mansky’s Pipeline and Alexander Gentelev’s Putin’s Games, will be pitching the German-Russian documentary portrait Nemtsov, while Aheste Film and Les Films d’Antoine will be in Leipzig with the Turkish project Mr. Gay Syria and Kabul-based Afghanistan DocHouse will be looking...
- 10/6/2015
- by screen.berlin@googlemail.com (Martin Blaney)
- ScreenDaily
A major plotline in House of Cards' third season, which premieres today on Netflix, involves Frank Underwood's tense relationship with the fictional Russian president, Victor Petrov (Lars Mikkelsen). In the third episode, "Chapter 29," Petrov attends a state dinner at the White House, where he gives a speech that's interrupted by Pussy Riot members Nadya Tolokonnikova and Maria Alyokhina (whose real-life protests in Russia landed them in prison). Watch their heated standoff below.
- 2/27/2015
- by Dee Lockett
- Vulture
Over the course of Netflix’s astute marketing campaign for House of Cards season 3, we’ve been treated with atmospheric vignettes that showcase the brooding Underwoods, a series of motion pictures and a foreboding trailer. Now, with less than a week to go until its premiere, the streaming service has unveiled a new and punchy thirty-second clip that sees Claire and Frank settling into their newfound positions of power — or at the very least, trying to.
As previous footage alluded to, this upcoming season will primarily focus on the couple as they struggle to keep all of the plates spinning against sky-high stakes. No mean feat, of course, given that Kevin Spacey’s Frank isn’t known for making friends in the traditional sense. But now that the tyrannical South Carolinian is the newly-appointed President in Walker’s steed, it will be interesting to see how his arc pans out across the thirteen hour-long episodes.
As previous footage alluded to, this upcoming season will primarily focus on the couple as they struggle to keep all of the plates spinning against sky-high stakes. No mean feat, of course, given that Kevin Spacey’s Frank isn’t known for making friends in the traditional sense. But now that the tyrannical South Carolinian is the newly-appointed President in Walker’s steed, it will be interesting to see how his arc pans out across the thirteen hour-long episodes.
- 2/23/2015
- by Michael Briers
- We Got This Covered
Pussy Riot members have released a video for their first-ever English-language song. It is dedicated to Eric Garner, the man who was choked to death in Staten Island by an NYPD officer last year. The track called "I Can't Breathe" — the last words said by Garner while he was being choked — was recorded in December in New York and features Pussy Riot's Nadezhda Tolokonnikova and Maria Alyokhina, Yeah Yeah Yeahs' Nick Zinner, The Ceramic Dog's Shahzad Ismaily, Andrew Wyatt and the Russian bands Jack Wood and Scofferlane. Punk icon Richard Hell is also featured, repeatedly saying
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- 2/19/2015
- by Vladimir Kozlov
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
We are now but a few weeks away from the much-anticipated return of House of Cards for its third season, and Netflix has fired up the marketing campaign with the release of a new motion poster and key artwork.
Showcasing the Underwoods (played once again by Kevin Spacey and Robin Wright) disembarking from Air Force One, the promo material perfectly encapsulates the dark, brooding tone of the show’s next stint. With Frank now in full control of the White House as the newly-appointed President of the United States, it seems the only direction for the tyrannical, ruthless South Carolinian to go is down.
With tensions rising from within the West Wing, not to mention between each other, the pair’s rise to power has been fraught with problems both big and small, and it looks to be the case that House of Cards Season Three will only lump more pressure on their once-ironcast relationship.
Showcasing the Underwoods (played once again by Kevin Spacey and Robin Wright) disembarking from Air Force One, the promo material perfectly encapsulates the dark, brooding tone of the show’s next stint. With Frank now in full control of the White House as the newly-appointed President of the United States, it seems the only direction for the tyrannical, ruthless South Carolinian to go is down.
With tensions rising from within the West Wing, not to mention between each other, the pair’s rise to power has been fraught with problems both big and small, and it looks to be the case that House of Cards Season Three will only lump more pressure on their once-ironcast relationship.
- 2/5/2015
- by Michael Briers
- We Got This Covered
Russian punk rock protest group to preview latest film and take to the stage at Iffr.
International Film Festival Rotterdam (Jan 21 – Feb 1) is to host Russian political activists Pussy Riot next week.
Two members of the punk rock group, Nadya Tolokonikova and Masha Alyokhina, will talk to Iffr Late Night host Tom Barman about their ideals, action and future plans. Translator and Pussy Riot member Petya Verzilov will join the conversation, which will take place at 1pm on Jan 28 at the Oude Luxor Theatre.
Tolokonikova and Alyokhina were two out of three members of Pussy Riot who were imprisoned in 2012 after staging a performance in Moscow’s Cathedral of Christ the Saviour, protesting the re-election of President Putin and the links between church and state in Russia. Sentenced to two years in a prison camp, they were released in December 2013.
In Rotterdam, Iffr will screen the first part of documentary Pussy Versus Putin, about the battle...
International Film Festival Rotterdam (Jan 21 – Feb 1) is to host Russian political activists Pussy Riot next week.
Two members of the punk rock group, Nadya Tolokonikova and Masha Alyokhina, will talk to Iffr Late Night host Tom Barman about their ideals, action and future plans. Translator and Pussy Riot member Petya Verzilov will join the conversation, which will take place at 1pm on Jan 28 at the Oude Luxor Theatre.
Tolokonikova and Alyokhina were two out of three members of Pussy Riot who were imprisoned in 2012 after staging a performance in Moscow’s Cathedral of Christ the Saviour, protesting the re-election of President Putin and the links between church and state in Russia. Sentenced to two years in a prison camp, they were released in December 2013.
In Rotterdam, Iffr will screen the first part of documentary Pussy Versus Putin, about the battle...
- 1/20/2015
- by michael.rosser@screendaily.com (Michael Rosser)
- ScreenDaily
In an unusual but inspired pairing, two members of Russian political activist band Pussy Riot will appear in the currently in production third season of Netflix's "House of Cards".
Citypaper, a media outlet in Baltimore where the show is filmed, reports that Nadezhda 'Nadya' Tolokonnikova and Maria Alyokhina had visited the show's set and the pair were reportedly filming roles for the show's third season.
The pair met with production staff from the show in New York earlier this year, a meeting that may have been a precursor to their appearance in the series.
Netflix has not commented on the reports.
Citypaper, a media outlet in Baltimore where the show is filmed, reports that Nadezhda 'Nadya' Tolokonnikova and Maria Alyokhina had visited the show's set and the pair were reportedly filming roles for the show's third season.
The pair met with production staff from the show in New York earlier this year, a meeting that may have been a precursor to their appearance in the series.
Netflix has not commented on the reports.
- 8/12/2014
- by Garth Franklin
- Dark Horizons
This past spring, reports flew around that members of Russian punk collective Pussy Riot were going to make their film debut in the developing sequel "Spring Breakers: The Second Coming." Those reports were quickly denied, but the prospect of Pussy Riot going Hollywood may yet bear fruit. Following their release from prison, members Nadya Tolokonnikova and Maria Alyokhina spent the spring doing press and rubbing shoulders with celebrities, and are now making tentative steps in front of the camera. According to a source speaking to Baltimore's City Paper, "Nadezhda and Maria from Pussy Riot were on set, and are in season 3 of House of Cards." And that's about it. There's no word yet whether they will be playing themselves (we can only assume that's the case), or what a plot thread might entail (perhaps Francis Underwood's power now reaches into international borders, which is what the end of the second season was.
- 8/12/2014
- by Kevin Jagernauth
- The Playlist
From one corrupt government to another. Pussy Riot veterans Nadya Tolokonnikova and Maria Alyokhina, who spent 22 months in prison for protesting President Vladimir Putin, will appear in the third episode of the third season of “House of Cards,” according to Baltimore's CityPaper.com. Netflix did not comment on the report. See video: Pussy Riot Members Beaten, Whipped by Russian Police Outside Olympics Venue Earlier this year, the pair met with writers from the show, telling the Wall Street Journal that they wanted to learn how to make a political movie. The duo were released shortly before the Sochi Winter Olympics,...
- 8/11/2014
- by Jordan Zakarin
- The Wrap
Pussy Riot members Maria Alyokhina and Nadezhda Tolokonnikova are demanding the Russian government pay them compensation of over $300,000 for what they allege amounts to torture during their prosecution and subsequent imprisonment for a 2012 "punk prayer" in a Moscow cathedral. The women, who were released last December after serving 21 months in prison and pre-trial detention are suing the Kremlin in the European Court of Human Rights. They are demanding $160,000 each in compensation and $13,000 to cover court costs, arguing that their investigation and prosecution violated their rights and amounted to torture. Story Russia Today
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- 7/28/2014
- by Nick Holdsworth
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Maria Alyokhina and Nadezhda Tolokonnikova are no longer involved with Pussy Riot, the six remaining members wrote in an open letter Thursday. Formerly known as "Masha" and "Nadia," Alyokhina and Tolokonnikova were freed in December 2013 after serving 16 months of a two-year prison sentence. They were arrested for staging a musical protest in a Moscow cathedral in 2012. The six remaining members of the punk collective—Garadja, Fara, Shaiba, Cat, Seraphima and Schumacher—wish to remain anonymous. Pussy Riot belongs to a "leftist anti-capitalist ideology," while Alyokhina and Tolokonnikova have become "institutionalized advocates of prisoners' rights." Alyokhina and...
- 2/7/2014
- E! Online
As America sends their best athletes -- and journalists -- to Sochi for the Winter Olympics, Pussy Riot's Nadezhda Tolokonnikova (Nadya) and Maria Alyokhina (Masha) made their way stateside to visit U.S. prisons, appear at an Amnesty International concert and, apparently, visit The Colbert Report. Story: Madonna Joins Forces With Pussy Riot for Human Rights Concert The recently released Russian inmates bantered back-and-forth with Stephen Colbert via a translator during Tuesday night's episode. When Colbert asked what they did to get arrested, Alyokhina replied, "We sang a fun song at a church," to much audience applause. Regarding what problem they have with Vladimir Putin, they
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- 2/5/2014
- by Ashley Lee
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
London, January 30: Madonna will be introducing members of Pussy Riot at a concert promoting human rights in New York City.
The 55-year-old American singer-songwriter said that she will be "honored" to introduce her "fellow freedom fighters", Maria Alyokhina and Nadezhda Tolokonnikova at the Amnesty event, the BBC reported.
She added that she admired their courage and has long supported their commitment and the sacrifices they have made.
The pair, along with another woman, Yekaterina Samutsevich, was arrested in August 2012 for singing a protest song in a Moscow cathedral and was released in December after spending.
The 55-year-old American singer-songwriter said that she will be "honored" to introduce her "fellow freedom fighters", Maria Alyokhina and Nadezhda Tolokonnikova at the Amnesty event, the BBC reported.
She added that she admired their courage and has long supported their commitment and the sacrifices they have made.
The pair, along with another woman, Yekaterina Samutsevich, was arrested in August 2012 for singing a protest song in a Moscow cathedral and was released in December after spending.
- 1/30/2014
- by Anita Agarwal
- RealBollywood.com
Adding yet another appearance to her recent string of public events, Madonna just confirmed that she will introduce members of Pussy Riot at Amnesty International's human rights concert in New York City.
Making the confirmation today (January 29), the 55-year-old said that she looks up to Maria Alyokhina and Nadezhda Tolokonnikova, who were just released from prison after two years.
The two ladies were convicted of alleged hooliganism when staging a protest in a Russian church, and Madonna's support will be shown during the Bringing Human Rights Home concert on Wednesday, February 5th.
The event takes place at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, and features the musical talents of The Flaming Lips, Imagine Dragons, The Fray Colbie Caillat and many others.
Making the confirmation today (January 29), the 55-year-old said that she looks up to Maria Alyokhina and Nadezhda Tolokonnikova, who were just released from prison after two years.
The two ladies were convicted of alleged hooliganism when staging a protest in a Russian church, and Madonna's support will be shown during the Bringing Human Rights Home concert on Wednesday, February 5th.
The event takes place at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, and features the musical talents of The Flaming Lips, Imagine Dragons, The Fray Colbie Caillat and many others.
- 1/30/2014
- GossipCenter
Madonna's not done with her recent string of public appearances -- she also has signed on to introduce members of Pussy Riot at Amnesty International's human rights concert in New York. Story: Freed Pussy Riot Members to Form Prisoners' Rights Organization The pop singer made the announcement Wednesday morning on social media. She's been busy of late, appearing on Sunday's Grammy Awards with Macklemore & Ryan Lewis and singing with Miley Cyrus during an MTV Unplugged taping Tuesday. Video: Macklemore and Madonna Perform 'Same Love' As 33 Couples Wed Live on Air Madonna says in a statement that she admires Maria Alyokhina and
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- 1/30/2014
- by Associated Press
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
New York (AP) — Madonna's not done with her recent string of public appearances — she also has signed on to introduce members of Pussy Riot at Amnesty International's human rights concert in New York. The pop singer made the announcement Wednesday morning on social media. She's been busy of late, appearing on Sunday's Grammy Awards with Macklemore & Ryan Lewis and singing with Miley Cyrus during an "MTV Unplugged" taping Tuesday. Madonna says in a statement that she admires Maria Alyokhina and Nadezhda Tolokonnikova. They were recently released after nearly two years in jail following a conviction for hooliganism when...
- 1/29/2014
- by AP Staff
- Hitfix
Russia’s less-than-stellar human rights record has been under the microscope lately due to the upcoming Olympic games in Sochi, and President Vladimir Putin didn’t make things easier with the ignorant anti-gay comments he made on Jan. 17.
Vladimir Putin has never been the most gay-friendly world leader, but he took things to another level on Jan. 17 when he said that gay people needed to “leave the children in peace” during the upcoming Sochi Olympics. Say what?
Putin Confuses Homosexuality With Pedophilia
Whatever your views on homosexuality may be, you have to know that it is in a completely different league than pedophilia. In fact, the two sexual “preferences” aren’t even playing the same ball game. But Putin clearly confused the two during a press conference on Jan. 17 in Sochi, when he attempted to reassure gay visitors to the Sochi games that they would be welcome in Russia as...
Vladimir Putin has never been the most gay-friendly world leader, but he took things to another level on Jan. 17 when he said that gay people needed to “leave the children in peace” during the upcoming Sochi Olympics. Say what?
Putin Confuses Homosexuality With Pedophilia
Whatever your views on homosexuality may be, you have to know that it is in a completely different league than pedophilia. In fact, the two sexual “preferences” aren’t even playing the same ball game. But Putin clearly confused the two during a press conference on Jan. 17 in Sochi, when he attempted to reassure gay visitors to the Sochi games that they would be welcome in Russia as...
- 1/17/2014
- by Shaunna Murphy
- HollywoodLife
Shortlist for nominations courts controversy with entries on death squads, homophobia in Uganda and Tahrir Square
Glinting gems, red carpet couture and conspicuous grooming are all hallmarks of Oscar night that can be relied on to brighten up March. This year, however, the Academy Awards will offer more than just glamour. Hollywood is heading to the centre of global political debate.
The films now vying for a prize in the 2014 documentary category are the most politically sensitive yet to be considered for attention at the annual Los Angeles ceremony. They include excoriating cinematic treatments of Indonesian death squads, evangelical homophobia in Uganda, the uprising in Tahrir Square and an attack on the incarceration of orca whales in marine parks.
But ahead of the pack in the controversy stakes so far is Pussy Riot: A Punk Prayer, the film that tells the story of the trial and imprisonment of two members...
Glinting gems, red carpet couture and conspicuous grooming are all hallmarks of Oscar night that can be relied on to brighten up March. This year, however, the Academy Awards will offer more than just glamour. Hollywood is heading to the centre of global political debate.
The films now vying for a prize in the 2014 documentary category are the most politically sensitive yet to be considered for attention at the annual Los Angeles ceremony. They include excoriating cinematic treatments of Indonesian death squads, evangelical homophobia in Uganda, the uprising in Tahrir Square and an attack on the incarceration of orca whales in marine parks.
But ahead of the pack in the controversy stakes so far is Pussy Riot: A Punk Prayer, the film that tells the story of the trial and imprisonment of two members...
- 1/6/2014
- by Vanessa Thorpe
- The Guardian - Film News
The recently freed members of Pussy Riot - a girl group sent packing to a Russian Gulag by Vladimir Putin - plan to form a human rights organization focusing on prisoners. Their crime? "Hooliganism." Billboard reported that Nadezhda Tolokonnikova and Maria Alyokhina told reporters in Moscow that they will call the group "Zona Prava" – which translates to "justice zone" – and that they hope to collaborate with former tycoon Mikhail Khodorkovsky, who was also freed last week after serving a 10-year jail term. Tolokonnikova also noted, "We won't ask anyone for financial assistance," noting that they hoped to work with Khodorkovsky "on an ideological level." The group would be financed by crowd-funding. The women served a hard...
- 12/27/2013
- by April Neale
- Monsters and Critics
Moscow – Nadezhda Tolokonnikova and Maria Alyokhina, the two recently freed Pussy Riot members, don’t rule out art or political activities at some point, but plan to focus on prisoners’ rights protection in the immediate future. They also stressed that they have no plans of capitalizing on the Pussy Riot brand or even using it in the future. “We feel a huge responsibility for people who are in prisons,” Tolokonnikova said at news conference in Moscow on Friday, the first one since the two women were released from prison on Dec. 23 under a recently adopted amnesty bill. Story: Pussy
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- 12/27/2013
- by Vladimir Kozlov
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Maria Alyokhina and Nadezhda Tolokonnikova of the Russian punk band Pussy Riot were released from prison on Dec. 23, after spending two long years there for protesting Vladimir Putin’s regime at a cathedral. Now, the band is slamming the amnesty law that freed them as a PR stunt from the Kremlin to improve Russian relations before the Winter Olympics. Find out why below!
The world was outraged when Pussy Riot‘s Maria Alyokhina, 25, and Nadezhda Tolokonnikova, 24 — along with bandmate Yekaterina Samutsevich, 31 — were thrown in prison in 2012 for protesting Vladimir Putin‘s oppressive regime in a Russian cathedral. Now the two young moms are free, but they’re not keeping quiet about the shocking conditions they faced in prison, or their thoughts on the law that freed them.
Pussy Riot Freed: The Real Reason Behind Their Release
Maria, Nadezhda, and Yekaterina — who was released in October of 2012 when her case was...
The world was outraged when Pussy Riot‘s Maria Alyokhina, 25, and Nadezhda Tolokonnikova, 24 — along with bandmate Yekaterina Samutsevich, 31 — were thrown in prison in 2012 for protesting Vladimir Putin‘s oppressive regime in a Russian cathedral. Now the two young moms are free, but they’re not keeping quiet about the shocking conditions they faced in prison, or their thoughts on the law that freed them.
Pussy Riot Freed: The Real Reason Behind Their Release
Maria, Nadezhda, and Yekaterina — who was released in October of 2012 when her case was...
- 12/23/2013
- by Shaunna Murphy
- HollywoodLife
Two members of the punk band Pussy Riot who were serving a two-year jail term after giving a performance critical of Russian President Vladimir Putin have been released from prison, two months early. The early freedom for Maria Alyokhina and Nadezhda Tolokonnikova means their release will not occur around the same time as the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi in February. Releasing them then could have drawn attention to Putin’s human rights record at a time when his country will be the focus of international attention. Also read: Russia Expected to Free Pussy Riot in Sweeping Amnesty Law “I think this is.
- 12/23/2013
- by Tim Molloy
- The Wrap
Moscow -- The second Pussy Riot member, Nadezhda Tolokonnikova, has been freed from prison in Siberia's Krasnoyarsk region, following the release of her bandmate Maria Alyokhina earlier today. "Nothing has changed in me," she told reporters who were waiting for her in front of a prison hospital. "I've become stronger, more resilient. I have more determination in me." Story: Pussy Riot's Maria Alyokhina Released From Prison A video of her statement was aired by the Russian oppositionist station Dozhd. She added that she and Alyokhina have an idea for a human rights organization focused on protecting inmates' rights. Alyokhina, released
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- 12/23/2013
- by Vladimir Kozlov
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Moscow -- Maria Alyokhina, one of the two jailed members of Russian punk band Pussy Riot, was freed early Monday. She left prison in Nizhny Novgorod, north of Moscow, driven out a back exit by officials keen to avoid a waiting press pack at the front, just days after the Russian parliament unanimously approved an amnesty bill that will also free Greenpeace's "Arctic 30" environmental activists. Fellow Pussy Riot member, Nadezhda Tolokinnova, who is in a prison hospital in Siberia, is expected to be released later Monday. Story: Putin Scolds Pussy Riot, But Approves Their Release From Prison "Maria Alyokhina has
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- 12/23/2013
- by Vladimir Kozlov, Nick Holdsworth
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Pussy Riot will be set free finally from a Russian Gulag. The two jailed members of punk band Pussy Riot will be released from prison following an amnesty bill passed by the Russian parliament last night. The Guardian reports that Nadezhda Tolokonnikova and Maria Alyokhina were convicted of "hooliganism" and sentenced to two years in prison after they staged a protest against Putin and the Russian Orthodox church last year. Also likely to be released are the members of the "Arctic 30," a group of Greenpeace activists who staged a protest against drilling in the Arctic by boarding a Russian oil rig in September. The activists have spent two months in jail under charges of hooliganism. Peter Wilcox, the...
- 12/21/2013
- by April Neale
- Monsters and Critics
Moscow – Russian President Vladimir Putin has confirmed that the two jailed members of Pussy Riot will soon be released under an amnesty bill, but scolded Nadezhda Tolokonnikova and Maria Alyokhina during his annual news conference on Thursday. "I feel sorry not because they went to prison, but because they committed that provocative act, which degraded women," Putin said. The two women are serving two-year sentences for the anti-Putin "punk prayer," staged at Moscow’s Christ the Savior cathedral in February last year, during the election campaign before the president won his third term in power. Story: Russian President Putin to Fight Zombies in
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- 12/20/2013
- by Nick Holdsworth, Vladimir Kozlov
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Russian officials are expected to free two members of the punk rock protest band Pussy Riot in early January under a sweeping new amnesty law that passed in the Russian parliament on Wednesday. According to advocacy group Free Pussy Riot, because imprisoned members Nadezhda Tolokonnikova and Maria Alyokhina were nonviolent offenders and both have young children, they qualify for amnesty. Also read: Pussy Riot Member Goes on Hunger Strike Over Russian Jail Conditions The law pardons a wide swath of offenders including pregnant women and mothers of young children, the sick or elderly, and minors serving short sentences, state-run Russian news agency.
- 12/18/2013
- by L.A. Ross
- The Wrap
Moscow – Jailed Pussy Riot members Nadezhda Tolokonnikova and Maria Alyokhina are expected to be released as early as Thursday under an amnesty marking the 20th anniversary of Russia's post-Soviet Constitution, which the Russian parliament passed Wednesday. The release of the two women, both mothers of young children, would come four months before they were due to be released in March from the Spartan surroundings of Siberian labor camps. Story: Pussy Riot Members Want Rest of Prison Term to be Replaced With Community Service The move follows a rapid series of developments in the past week, starting with a
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- 12/18/2013
- by Nick Holdsworth
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
★★★★☆Mike Lerner and Maxim Pozdorovkin's provocative documentary Pussy Riot: A Punk Prayer (2013) follows the trial of Nadia (Nadezhda Tolokonnikova), Katia (Ekaterina Samutsevich) and Masha (Maria Alyokhina), three members of the Russian punk band Pussy Riot who last year were sentenced to two years in a labour camp. The activists were charged with hooliganism after performing a satirical rock song in Moscow's main cathedral criticising the Russian Orthodox Church's close ties to the Kremlin. A feminist collective, the group formed the day that Vladimir Putin controversially returned to power in 2011.
- 11/26/2013
- by CineVue UK
- CineVue
Warsaw – Jailed Pussy Riot musician Maria Alyokhina withdrew her application for an early release, while her bandmate, Nadezhda Tolokonnikova resumed her hunger strike on Oct. 18. Alyokhina explained her move as a gesture of solidarity with Tolokonnikova. Photos: The Top Celebrity Political Twitter Commentators "I have no moral right to take part in this court hearing at a time when my friend and fellow convict Nadezhda Tolokonnikova does not have such opportunity," Alyokhina was quoted as saying by the Russian wire service Ria Novosti. She also called for an early release for all female convicts who have small children,
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- 10/18/2013
- by Vladimir Kozlov
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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