According to an official announcement by STX Entertainment, the company has reached an agreement with Nadya Tolokonnikova, the creator of Russia’s activist band Pussy Riot to develop a limited scripted TV series based on her forthcoming memoir.
According to a press release, the show “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.”
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?”
Sophie Watts, the former president of STX, will serve as executive producer for the series. “We are incredibly excited to make a show as courageous and daring as its subject,” said Watts. “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.”
No official release date has been announced yet for the Pussy Riot TV series or memoir.
