In Russia, criticizing the war in Ukraine or Vladimir Putin’s regime has become a crime. Thousands of ordinary citizens are being arrested, tried, and imprisoned. They are called “Politzek”: political prisoners. Filmed clandestinely over the course of more than a year, Politzek gives a platform to those who, despite the fear, continue to speak out against Putin’s repressive Russia. Through the intersecting stories of a teenager sentenced to five years in prison for criticizing the government on social media, a young artist jailed for placing anti-war stickers, a human rights activist, and two theater directors facing Kafkaesque trials, the film unveils the machinery of state repression in Russia. With rare footage, broken yet unyielding voices, this is a story of silenced resistance.
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Director
Manon Loizeau
Writer
Manon Loizeau
Director
Ekaterina Mamontova
Writer
Sacha Koulaeva
Producer
Stéphanie Lebrun
Producer
Hanne Phlypo
politicsresistancetotalitarian regimeprotestdictatorshipjusticehuman rightsrussian politicsanti war protestrussian leadersrussiapolitical documentaryrussian invasion of ukraine (2022)political prisonerscommunist regimeauthoritarian regimeanti-war activiststate repression