HBO buys Pussy Riot documentary at Sundance Film Festival

The feature-length documentary film aims to show the personal side of the Pussy Riot story

HBO has bought the US TV rights to the Pussy Riot documentary film.

Titled Pussy Riot – A Punk Prayer, the feature-length documentary premiered at the Sundance Film Festival on Friday (January 18). In a statement, directors Mike Lerner and Maxim Pozdorovkin said they “are thrilled to be working with HBO on bringing this important story to the world”.

Speaking last month (December 2012), the directors told NME that they tried to show the personal side of the Pussy Riot story. Pozdorovkin explained: “The film features footage from their trial, so you see how Pussy Riot turn it into a sort of performance. The girls really flourish and take on this role that’s thrust on them. In the seventies, Russia didn’t have a punk movement, so Pussy Riot is like ‘God Save The Queen’ for them.”

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Lerner added: “We also interviewed their families and lawyers. And we have candid footage of the girls chatting privately right before the trial. We want to show what Masha, Nadia and Katia are like as individuals – why they did what they did, and how they’ve responded since.”

At present, the international rights to Pussy Riot – A Punk Prayer are still up for sale. Speaking last month about a UK release, Lerner told NME: “We’re hoping to have it cinemas by spring. It’s a good date movie – you won’t struggle for conversation afterwards.”

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