The price of freedom

Originally from St. Petersburg, Skochilenko was sentenced to seven years in prison in November 2023 for spreading “false information” about the Russian military, but was released in the largest ever prisoner exchange between Russia and the West in August 2024. She now resides outside of Russia.

The 17-minute film, shot in Latvia and directed by exiled Russian director Alexander Molochnikov, won Best Film and received the jury prize at the BAFTA Student Film Awards. It has also caught the attention of prominent film director, producer and actor Ben Stiller, as well as Oscar-winning producer John Lesher, who have joined the project as executive producers.

Novaya Gazeta Europe spoke to Molochnikov, who made the film as his Columbia University graduation project, about the film-making process, his reaction to Shochilenko’s unexpected release and the involvement of Stiller and Lesher.

NGE: The film is in Russian and uses Russian actors. Was that your decision?

AM: Festival short films are so specific and I thought it would somehow be pretentious to tell this story — and I really wanted to tell it — in English. There are examples of Russian stories, happening in Russia, filmed by Russian directors, being made in English, like Limonov, The Ballad of Eddie, by Kirill Serebrennikov. It’s a great movie. But this time it felt more honest to do it in Russian.

NGE: You made the film as your graduation project at Columbia University. Was shooting the film in Russian a problem there?

AM: Not at all! Columbia University has students from 20 to 30 countries in a single class. Everyone films in their own languages, and adds subtitles.

NGE: So who is the film for, Russian or Western viewers?

AM: The film is for anyone who can think and feel. I hope that people in Russia will be able to see it too, but that’s not up to us. I’ve got to say it was important for me to strike a balance when we were filming: to try to explain things someone here in America may not know, but not slip into the trap of over-explaining. 

Actually, that’s important in everything we do. Our staging of the play Seagull: True Story was also basically us trying to strike a balance: not to be too incomprehensible, because of the different cultural codes here, but not to descend into nonsense either. 

NGE: In one interview, you said the story in Extremist could be an American story tomorrow.

AM: It already did become an American story, to some extent, while we were shooting and releasing the film, because people are being detained at protests here now too. Of course, it’s different, but still: people are being detained at protests. And the fear that a group of men in uniform might come and pick you up in the night exists here now as well. That’s why I think our story resonates so much in America.

NGE: Did you discuss the script with Sasha Skochilenko and her girlfriend Sonya Subbotina?

AM: We discussed it with Sonya first. And then we somehow managed to get the script to Sasha. For me, of course, it was very important and thrilling to get her OK. We wouldn’t have gone ahead without it.

And then something miraculous happened. Sonya and I agreed to do one last call before the shoot, which ended up with me talking to both of them because all of a sudden there was an exchange, and Sasha was released.

We couldn’t believe it would all happen so quickly. You have this idea that a person is out there somewhere, behind bars, and will probably languish there for years, and all of a sudden you’re talking on Zoom! It was such an incredible feeling. I’ll never forget it.

NGE: Did Sasha give you any clarifications or details that you then used in the film?

AM: Yes, one, but sadly it didn’t make it into the final cut. But maybe we’ll make a director’s cut and add it there. Sasha had this woolly hat with ears. She was wearing it when she went to the store, and they basically identified and found her because of the hat. At one point, the investigator in the case put the hat on and began mocking Sasha.

NGE: Is this the investigator Sasha mentioned at the trial? The one who resigned before the end of the case?

AM: Yes, him. Artur Smolyaninov plays him in our film. Sadly, that didn’t change anything in Sasha’s case. One resigned, another one came along and she still ended up in prison, but that, of course, only goes to underline her strength and forthrightness.

NGE: What was the most important moment in the Sasha Skochilenko story for you personally?

AM: When she refused to sign a statement that what she wrote on the price tags wasn’t true.

I think replacing the price tags is actually a less important moment in the film than her refusing to back down when the Russian investigators were piling on the pressure.

I’m only talking about the film right now. It’s a really powerful, pretty heroic move, which I wouldn’t be brave enough to have done. But I can imagine doing something like with the price tags, that no one would notice.

But if someone said: ‘Come on, sign this, and say none of it’s true!’ i.e. save yourself, choose. That’s really serious. And I can say for sure that I’d probably have been scared. I think a lot of people would have been. Why sit in a Russian jail for seven years? But Sasha wasn’t afraid. And that makes her a hero of our time.

NGE: Ben Stiller and John Lesher came on board as executive producers. How did that happen and what has it added to the project?

AM: As our film had won the Columbia University festival and then received several other awards, my teacher got in touch with Ben Stiller to say: “Here, watch this movie by my student.” Ben watched it that same day and said: “Give him my number.” After that, we spoke on the phone and had a wonderful discussion about the film. Then we realised the best thing would be for him to be an executive producer and bring his team and his partner John Lesher on board. An article came out in Deadline, announcing their involvement. We hope to stage a screening and a Q&A with Stiller soon.

And Stiller’s involvement means more people can hear about the film in the final month before voting for the Oscar shortlist takes place. Watch this space.