Yekaterina Samutsevich

Russian activists Nadezhda Tolokonnikova and Ekaterina Samutsevich decide to separate from the well-known activist group Voina and create their own group named Pussy Riot that would express their ideas of female independence, combining activism, feminism, and punk rock music. Their defeat in court becomes their moral victory, as Pussy Riot are cheered on by thousands of their new-found fans.

In 2012 two members of anarchistic female band Pussy Riot were sentenced to two years in a Mordovian labor camp for "hooliganism motivated by religious hatred". Russian film collective Gogol’s Wives follow each step of the feminist punk band’s battle against Putin including their first disruptive performances on a trolley bus, shooting a video about transparent elections, a controversial performance in a Red Square cathedral, and footage shot in a jail cell. Support comes from many corners including Madonna who painted the words "Pussy Riot" on her back and wore a balaclava during her Moscow show. The documentary portrays the grim state of present-day Russia, a country starkly divided between conservatism and anarchy. Pussy Riot believes that art has to be free and they're willing to take it to extremes. "Pussycat made a mess in the house," they say, and the house is Russia. The filmmakers do not seek to moralize, they simply edit events and leave viewers to draw their own conclusions.

2012년 2월 21일, 모스크바 구세주 그리스도 대성당 제단. 컬러풀한 스키마스크에 형광색 레깅스를 입은 여성들이 튀어나와 공연을 시작한다. “성모님, 여성을 축복하고, 푸틴을 거둬주소서.” 이들의 이름은 페미니스트 펑크락 그룹 ‘푸시 라이엇(Pussy Riot).’채 1분도 되지 않는 공연을 한 대가로 이들은 ‘종교적 증오를 기반으로 한 난동죄’로 기소되는데…. 재판에 회부된 것은 이 여성들일까, 그들이 살고 있는 사회일까. (2013년 제7회 여성인권영화제)