The film by Russian director Alexander Molochnikov «Extremistka» about the story of former political prisoner Sasha Skocilenko received two awards from the British student BAFTA. The 17-minute film won in the category «Best Film» and received the jury prize, reported the director on his Instagram**.
«More than a thousand political prisoners are unjustly in prison in Russia now on absolutely absurd charges. My close friend, another brave woman and theater director Zhenya Berkovich, together with screenwriter [Svetlana Petriychuk], made a play about how women are recruited into ISIS***. They received all the awards for this play, but for their anti-war political posts on Facebook** they received more than six years in prison», — quotes Molochnikov's speech at the student BAFTA award ceremony «Dozhd»****.
According to the information on the award's website, the film «Extremistka» was nominated by Columbia University, USA.
Sasha Skocilenko was detained in St. Petersburg in April 2022 for replacing several price tags in the «Perekrestok» supermarket with leaflets containing information about Ukrainian civilians killed during the Russian invasion. The police were called by one of the store's visitors. Skocilenko was accused of spreading military «fakes».
In November 2023, the artist was sentenced to 7 years in prison. In June last year, Vladimir Putin signed a decree appointing Judge Oksana Demyasheva, who passed the sentence, as deputy chairman of the Kalininsky District Court of St. Petersburg for a term of six years.
Skocilenko was released as part of a prisoner exchange between Russia and Western countries on August 1, 2024.
* Listed as «terrorists and extremists».
** The company-owner Meta is recognized in Russia as an «extremist» organization.
*** Recognized in Russia as a terrorist organization.
**** Recognized in Russia as a «foreign agent» and «undesirable» organization.
Photo: Alexey Belozerov