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 deeply human story of silenced resistance.