'Extremist' (C) The New Yorker / Courtesy Everett Collection Share on Facebook Share on X Google Preferred Share to Flipboard Show additional share options Share on LinkedIn Share on Pinterest Share on Reddit Share on Tumblr Share on Whats App Send an Email Print the Article Post a Comment Ben Stiller is almost certainly a quadruple threat. He's acted (Dodgeball, Meet the Fockers), written (Zoolander, Tropic Thunder), produced (Severance), and directed (Stiller & Meara: Nothing Is Lost). One of his less-talked-about passions? Championing younger filmmakers steadfast in their commitment to brave and evocative storytelling. Case in point: Stiller's executive producer credit on Extremist, a 17-minute short film from dissident Russian filmmaker Alexander Molochnikov, now officially a contender in the 98th Academy Awards' live action short category. Dramatizing real-life events, the film is an urgent portrayal of authoritarian oppression and the cost of freedom. Related Stories Business X Being Probed by U.K. Media Regulator Over Grok's Image Tool After Sexualized Deepfakes Uproar TV 'Conclave' Producer Juliette Howell Named CEO of BBC Studios' 'Happy Valley' Maker Lookout Point It tells the story of former political prisoner Sasha Skochilenko (played by Viktoriya Miroshnichenko), a young Russian artist whose act of protest - replacing grocery store price tags with anti-war messages about her country's 2022 invasion of Ukraine - saw her prosecuted and jailed under Russia's "fake news" law. She was released in August of 2024 as part of a complex international exchange of prisoners. "The main fear was to cause trouble to Sasha, as she was still in prison," Molochnikov says about making Extremist, filmed in Latvia to ensure the safety of its Russian cast and crew. "I really didn't want to mess it up and make it worse for her. And then eventually, it just coincidentally happened that right before the shoot, she got out. And on some spiritual level, I thought that maybe this is connected." He thinks of another friend, a theater director, still stuck in a Russian jail. "I will definitely try making that film as well," he says. "If films pull honest and heroic people out of prisons, I think they're worth making." Stiller came aboard as an EP alongside John Lesher (Birdman), Ramin Bahrani (Chop Shop), Odessa Rae (The Voice of Hind Rajab), and Sheryl Crown (The Killing of a Sacred Deer). He found himself immediately moved by Molochnikov's short. "It's important for people to know that we, as Americans, can express ourselves without repercussions - at least for now," Stiller tells The Hollywood Reporter. "And for [Alexander] the filmmaker, there's a sacrifice that you have to make if you want to have a freedom of expression that just doesn't exist for people who are living in Russia." Molochnikov's journey so far is testament to the war waged on creatives in his native Russia: He acted and directed in productions at the prestigious Moscow Art Theatre before his plays were barred over the Molochnikov's anti-war stance. Following a short stint in prison, he fled to the U.S. and graduated from Columbia's directing program last year. Since debuting at Telluride, Extremist has been acquired by the New Yorker, earned Molochnikov two BAFTA Student Film Awards - and soon, he hopes, maybe even an Oscar nod. Below, THR talks to the director and Stiller about the impact of Extremist. They discuss depicting the real-life consequences activists face in Russia, why making the Oscars shortlist was vital, and what tempted an award-winning Hollywood star onto this short: "It was such an honor for me to be asked to put my name on this film." What spurred you on to make this film? ALEXANDER MOLOCHNIKOV The actual moment I decided to do it was when I saw the comments of the old lady who reported Sasha Skochilenko. She was so cold-hearted and said that they deserve it, that the court will decide how many years, and [that] she would give them a good whip. This phrase really struck me. Then I thought: Okay, this is a story, because there is these two people that love each other, and this woman that lives in the same building with them, and doesn't even know at first that she's putting [one of] them into prison for seven years and basically taking away their freedom forever. And when she realizes it, she just sticks to her opinions. From there, we developed the script. Alexander Molochnikov at the 2025 Gotham Awards. Getty Have you a relationship with the real-life Sasha as well? Did you talk to her about making this? MOLOCHNIKOV Yeah, of course. Once I wrote the first draft, I connected to her girlfriend - who wasn't in prison, she was out - and sent her the draft. She passed [it] on through lawyers into prison to Sasha, and then Sasha gave very small feedback from prison, and we went on to the next draft and the next draft... Then Sasha got swapped right before we started shooting, so we had a chance to talk. And actually, tomorrow is something in