Words of War is an upcoming biographical film about the late Russian journalist Anna Politkovskaya. Directed by James Strong, it is set to star Maxine Peake as Politkovskaya, Jason Isaacs as her husband Sascha, and Ciarán Hinds as her Nobel Peace Prize-winning editor at the Novaya Gazeta, Dmitry Muratov.[1]
| Words of War | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | James Strong |
| Screenplay by | Eric Poppen |
| Produced by |
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| Starring | |
Production companies |
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| Distributed by | Decal |
| Countries | United Kingdom Latvia |
| Language | English |
Synopsis
editAnna Politkovskaya was a journalist and human rights activist who persisted with reporting on the conflict in Chechnya despite considerable danger to herself, and tried to expose corruption within Russia under the governance of Vladimir Putin. She continued in the face of poisoning, intimidation and violence before being the victim of a contract killing in the elevator of her house on October 7, 2006.[2]
Cast
edit- Maxine Peake as Anna Politkovskaya
- Ciarán Hinds as Dmitry Muratov
- Jason Isaacs as Alexander Politkovsky
- Naomi Battrick as Vera Politkovskaya
- Harry Lawtey as Ilya Politkovsky
- Ellie Bamber as Elena
- Fady Elsayed as Anzor
Production
editThe project was announced as Mother Russia at the 2022 Cannes Film Festival with Maxine Peake, Jason Isaacs, and Ciarán Hinds attached to the main roles.[3] The film had James Strong attached as director, working from a screenplay by Eric Poppen, with filming scheduled for UK and Latvia in 2022.[4]
In December 2022, it was announced by Deadline Hollywood that Good Films Collective had teamed with Burbank-based Rolling Pictures on the production. Producers were listed as Miriam Segal and Mark Maxey.[5] Principal photography was revealed to have commenced in Latvia, with filming scheduled to last into February 2023.[6]
In 2024, Sean Penn joined the project as an executive producer.[7]
Casting
editIn September 2022, Emma D'Arcy, Harry Lawtey and Ellie Bamber were added to the cast.[8] Lawtey confirmed his role as Anna Politkovskaya's son and discussed the film within a geo-political context saying "The film has been planned for years and obviously now it has unfortunately become too relevant...being part of a project that feels current and meaningful is a privilege."[9] D'Arcy was replaced by Naomi Battrick due to scheduling issues.[10]
Controversy
editIn February 2023, the family of Anna Politkovskaya released a joint statement expressing concern about the factual accuracy of the script they had been given at the start of production, that they had not contributed in any way, nor had they granted permission for their names to be used in the film.[11]
Release
editIn May 2024, it was reported that sales agent Concourse Media presented the film to buyers in Cannes under the title of Words of War. [12]
Following the Toronto International Film Festival market in September 2024, it was announced that domestic distribution rights for the Words of War film were acquired by Decal Releasing and a theatrical release scheduled for 2025.[13]
References
edit- ^ "Ciarán Hinds to portray Nobel Peace Prize winner in film about murdered Russian journalist Anna Politkovskaya". rte.ie. May 16, 2022.
- ^ "Maxine Peake To Play Fearless Russian Journalist & Putin Scourge Anna Politkovskaya In Timely Cannes Package 'Mother Russia'; Ciaran Hinds Co-Stars With Jason Isaacs". Deadline Hollywood. May 13, 2022. Archived from the original on December 15, 2022. Retrieved January 5, 2023.
- ^ "Maxine Peak, Jason Isaacs set for Mother Russia movie". Filmstories.co.uk. May 16, 2022. Archived from the original on October 8, 2022. Retrieved January 5, 2023.
- ^ "A film about Anna Politkovskaya will be filmed in the UK". afisha.london. May 13, 2022.
- ^ Wiseman, Andreas (December 1, 2022). "'Anna': First Look At Maxine Peake As Russian Journalist Anna Politkovskaya, Film Bridge Takes Over Sales Duties". Deadline. Archived from the original on March 25, 2023. Retrieved March 13, 2023.
- ^ Wiseman, Andreas (December 1, 2022). "'Anna': First Look At Maxine Peake As Russian Journalist Anna Politkovskaya, Film Bridge Takes Over Sales Duties". Deadline. Archived from the original on March 25, 2023. Retrieved March 13, 2023.
- ^ Wiseman, Andreas (September 13, 2024). "Anna Politkovskaya Movie Words of War Starring Maxine Peake, Ciaran Hinds & Jason Isaacs, Gets U.S. Deal Out Of TIFF Market; Sean Penn Aboard As Exec Producer". Deadline. Archived from the original on January 8, 2025. Retrieved January 8, 2025.
- ^ "'House Of The Dragon' Star Emma D'Arcy, 'Industry' Actor Harry Lawtey & 'Willow' Star Ellie Bamber Join Movie 'Anna' About Murdered Russian Journalist & Putin Scourge Anna Politkovskaya". Deadline Hollywood. September 12, 2022. Archived from the original on November 24, 2022. Retrieved January 5, 2023.
- ^ "Harry Lawtey is weighing the price of success". zonadeprensard.com.
- ^ "House Of The Dragon' Star Emma D'Arcy Drops Out Of Anna Politkovskaya Biopic 'Anna', Replaced By Naomi Battrick". Deadline. November 23, 2022. Archived from the original on December 29, 2022. Retrieved January 5, 2023.
- ^ Ntim, Zac (March 7, 2023). "Family Of Russian Journalist Anna Politkovskaya Claim Upcoming Biopic Is "Grossly Inaccurate"". Deadline. Archived from the original on March 8, 2023. Retrieved March 8, 2023.
- ^ Ntim, Zac (May 6, 2024). "'Words of War:' Maxine Peake, Ciarán Hinds & Jason Isaacs Political Thriller Heading To Cannes Market With Concourse Media, First Look Images Revealed". Retrieved May 6, 2024.
- ^ Wiseman, Andreas (September 13, 2024). "Anna Politkovskaya Movie Words of War Starring Maxine Peake, Ciaran Hinds & Jason Isaacs, Gets U.S. Deal Out Of TIFF Market; Sean Penn Aboard As Exec Producer". Deadline. Archived from the original on January 8, 2025. Retrieved January 8, 2025.
External links
edit- Words of War at IMDb