Ben Stiller and John Lesher Join 'Extremist' by Alexander Molochnikov '25 as Executive Producers
DGA, Primetime Emmy, and Peabody Award–winning director, actor and producer Ben Stiller (Stiller & Meara: Nothing Is Lost) and his Oscar-winning producing partner John Lesher (Birdman) have boarded the Columbia thesis short film Extremist as executive producers.
The award-winning project, directed by Russian-American filmmaker Alexander Molochnikov '25 and produced by Jean Chapiro '25, which recently qualified for the Live Action Short Film category at the 98th Academy Awards. Extremist was filmed in Europe with a Russian cast and crew, many of whom, including three time Camerimage-winning cinematographer Mikhail Krichman, are living in exile for their safety.
The short is inspired by the true story of Sasha Skochilenko, a Russian artist and musician who was arrested and imprisoned for seven years for replacing four price tags with anti-war messages. It explores the personal cost of dissent expressed on a sticker in a time of rising censorship and authoritarianism.
“Back in 2012, we in Russia thought we were living in a fairly European, at times democratic country," Molochnikov told Deadline. "Authoritarian power comes subtly. One can miss the moment when the choice is before you: to compromise or to stick to your principles. People like Sasha prove that this choice is always there.” Molochnikov’s own ascent as one of Russia’s promising young directors came to an abrupt halt when he publicly criticised his country’s war in Ukraine and, facing threats, he relocated to the United States.
“Alexander’s stunning film Extremist is a riveting, cinematic experience that immerses us in the tragedy of anti-war art and activism in Russia where the human right to free speech comes into conflict with an authoritarian system that is tightening its vice. We strongly believe that people around the world need to see this film,” Stiller and Lesher told Deadline.
Further executive producers on the short include Oscar-nominated director and Professor of Professional Practice Film Ramin Bahrani (CC '96) (The White Tiger), Oscar-winning producer Odessa Rae (Navalny), Rick Schwartz (Black Swan) and Oscar-nominated producer, Sheryl Crown (EP on Searching For Sugar Man).
After taking home a landslide of awards at the 2025 Miloš Forman / Mike Hausman Columbia University Film Festival (CUFF), including the Best Film Award, the James Ponsoldt Award for Best Director for Molochnikov, the 3Pas Studios Award for Excellence in Producing for Chapiro, a Jury Select award, and a National Board of Review Student Grant, Extremist premiered at the 2025 Telluride Film Festival and has since been a darling of the festival circuit, winning two BAFTA Student Film Awards, taking home an Oscar-qualifying Jury Prize at the 2025 New Hampshire Film Festival, and most recently making the winner's list at The Gotham's Focus Features Student Short Film Showcase.
“To be honest, I look at the journey of our film as if it were some kind of dream," said Molochnikov "When we started working on it, I certainly could not have imagined that a thesis project at Columbia would generate such resonance. On the other hand, I understand that much of this is due to the story that inspired the film—the story of Sasha Skochilenko. The second aspect, I think, is the changes that have taken place in America over the past year, which have made our film not a niche story about Russia, but a film that Americans watch almost as if it is about their own future—some even say their present. I hope that despite everything that has already happened—BAFTA, the Telluride premiere, Ben Stiller and Jon Lesher joining as EPs, and other festivals—this is still not the end of the road for Extremist! And I hope we managed to make a very cinematic 17 minute film. I am very grateful to have met [Professors] Eric Mendelsohn, Ramin Bahrani, and Bogdan Apetri. Without them, this film simply would not exist; they are true masters of their craft.”
Alexander (Sasha) Molochnikov is a director and writer of theater, film, TV, opera, and ballet. His Bolshoi ballet The Seagull won a Golden Mask Award. After working at the Moscow Art Theater and creating hit works like Tell Her and Monastery, he left Russia for Columbia University after opposing the war in Ukraine.
Jean is a filmmaker and journalist from Mexico. She graduated Summa Cum Laude from The University of Pennsylvania in 2021. She holds an MS in Documentary Journalism from the Columbia Journalism School and an MFA in Creative Producing from Columbia. Her film Hasta Encontrarlos was awarded a Student Academy Award in 2023.