Latest news with #AnnaPolitkovskaya
Economist
13-05-2025
- Politics
- Economist
Anna Politkovskaya knew that tyranny respects no borders
'The entrance is well adapted for murder,' Anna Politkovskaya wrote in 2003, 'with dark corners in which you are your own rescue service.' She was describing the building in which a fellow journalist had been bludgeoned, but also foretelling her own death three years later. The assassination in her apartment block is the inexorable ending of 'Words of War', a new film about her life and fate. Politkovskaya's story and warnings are vital even now, amid the carnage in Ukraine. Especially now.
BBC News
02-05-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
'Anna Politkovskaya's persona was much greater'. Slain Russian journalist's sister on 'Words of War'
The thriller about slain Russian journalist Anna Politkovskaya, Words of War, opens in US cinemas today. The filmmakers took into account some of the inaccuracy concerns about the script raised by her family, Politkovskaya's sister Elena Kudimova told the film is coming out just in time for the World Press Freedom Day. Words of War was produced by Sean Penn. Anna Politkovskaya is played by Maxine Peake, and one of the leading male roles is performed by Jason of War tells the story of legendary Russian journalist and human rights activist Anna Politkovskaya. In Russia, her name is synonymous with courage and an indomitable spirit. She rose to prominence for her investigations into human rights abuses in Chechnya - a region in southern Russia that fought two wars for independence in the 1990s and early 2000s. Her older sister, Elena Kudimova, describes her as "someone who, despite all the threats and the danger to her life, kept doing her work until the very end."Politkovskaya openly criticised the Russian authorities and President Putin himself. Despite receiving numerous threats over the years, she refused to back down. Her sister recalls that while Politkovskaya considered emigration, she always changed her mind at the last moment. She would say: "I can't leave because nobody else will help the people here." Reporting the war in Chechnya From 1999, Politkovskaya traveled to Chechnya almost every month for several years. Kudimova recalls that for many wronged and desperate people, Politkovskaya became "the last resort" - the one who could make things right. She took part in the negotiations for Nord-Ost, the 2002 hostage crisis at a Moscow theatre, after the Chechen rebels specifically requested her. In 2004, she hoped to help resolve the crisis in Beslan, where heavily armed militants held hostages in a school for three days. However, she never made it there - she was poisoned on the plane while en route to 2006, Politkovskaya was shot dead in the elevator of her apartment building in Moscow. Six men were convicted over the murder, but the person who ordered it has never been identified. Her sister Elena doubts that the mastermind will ever be brought to justice. "If they had wanted to find him, they probably would have done so by now," Kudimova adds. Avoiding clichés Before the film's release, Politkovskaya's family raised concerns about the Words of War script, believing the film took too many liberties with the truth. While the filmmakers insist that the drama is based on real events, they emphasise that it is not a biography. However, Politkovskaya's sister notes that the filmmakers did take the family's feedback into account, and certain scenes that raised the most questions were removed from the final cut."[Anna's son] Ilya was portrayed in the original script as a sort of womanizer, [and in the film] Anna doesn't have a romance with [Dmitry] Muratov," she said. Dmitry Muratov, a Nobel Prize-winning journalist, was Anna Politkovskaya's former colleague at the Russian newspaper Novaya to Kudimova, Maxine Peake portrays her sister accurately, though she believes Anna's personality was "much greater and more complex" than what is depicted on screen. "Her real life had far more dramatic episodes than those shown in the film," she criticised the film's setting for leaning too heavily into cold-weather clichés. "I was struck by the fact that it's constantly snowing, as if Russia has only one season. In reality, we have all four." However, Kudimova is grateful that the film helps preserve the memory of her sister. Anna's legacy Kudimova said that Anna never thought about her own legacy. She recalled how, at some point, someone had suggested Anna write an autobiography - she was in her 40s at the time. Anna had laughed at the idea, saying it felt more like something you do when you're a hundred. But then she came up with the idea of writing six short stories. At the end of each, she said, she was supposed to die - but didn't, for different reasons. And they were going to be funny stories. When asked about how Anna would want to be remembered, Elena says that her sister did dot think about her legacy: "She simply wanted to live."Words of War will be released in the UK on 30 June
Economic Times
01-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Economic Times
Words of War: When will the film release in theatres? See release date, storyline, cast and creative team
Storyline Cast and Creative Team Live Events Release Date FAQs (You can now subscribe to our (You can now subscribe to our Economic Times WhatsApp channel The upcoming film Words of War tells the story of Russian journalist Anna Politkovskaya . She reported on sensitive topics and paid a high price. The film will open in theaters across the United States on May 2, film is based on the real life of Anna Politkovskaya. She was known for reporting on conflicts and human rights issues in Russia. She faced several threats throughout her career. Despite danger, she continued reporting. She eventually lost her life for her work. Maxine Peake , Jason Isaacs and Ciarán Hinds play lead roles in the film. They are featured in a newly released poster with a red background. Other cast members include Ian Hart, Ellie Bamber, Harry Lawtey, Sophie Simnett and Ben Strong directed the movie. Eric Poppen wrote the script. Sean Penn is one of the executive producers. He shared that the film aims to highlight the value of honest journalism. He said it is both a tribute and a reflection on the power of story shows Anna Politkovskaya's dedication to free press. She believed in telling the truth, no matter the risks. The film reminds audiences of the challenges journalists face worldwide. It presents the cost of speaking out against authority and standing by the of War will premiere in US theaters on May 2, 2025. This date coincides with the United Nations' World Press Freedom Day . Release dates for other countries and streaming platforms will be announced Politkovskaya was a Russian journalist who exposed corruption and war crimes. She died for reporting film opens in US theaters on May 2, 2025. Global and streaming releases are pending.
Time of India
01-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Time of India
Words of War: When will the film release in theatres? See release date, storyline, cast and creative team
The upcoming film Words of War tells the story of Russian journalist Anna Politkovskaya . She reported on sensitive topics and paid a high price. The film will open in theaters across the United States on May 2, 2025. #Pahalgam Terrorist Attack Nuclear Power! How India and Pakistan's arsenals stack up Does America have a plan to capture Pakistan's nuclear weapons? Airspace blockade: India plots a flight path to skip Pakistan Storyline The film is based on the real life of Anna Politkovskaya. She was known for reporting on conflicts and human rights issues in Russia. She faced several threats throughout her career. Despite danger, she continued reporting. She eventually lost her life for her work. Also Read: Raising Kanan Season 4 Episode 8: Why was the episode's release delayed? Check out new release date, time, what to expect and where to watch 5 5 Next Stay Playback speed 1x Normal Back 0.25x 0.5x 1x Normal 1.5x 2x 5 5 / Skip Ads by by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Click here for more information Undo Cast and Creative Team Maxine Peake , Jason Isaacs and Ciarán Hinds play lead roles in the film. They are featured in a newly released poster with a red background. Other cast members include Ian Hart, Ellie Bamber, Harry Lawtey, Sophie Simnett and Ben Miles. James Strong directed the movie. Eric Poppen wrote the script. Sean Penn is one of the executive producers. He shared that the film aims to highlight the value of honest journalism. He said it is both a tribute and a reflection on the power of truth. Live Events The story shows Anna Politkovskaya's dedication to free press. She believed in telling the truth, no matter the risks. The film reminds audiences of the challenges journalists face worldwide. It presents the cost of speaking out against authority and standing by the facts. Release Date Words of War will premiere in US theaters on May 2, 2025. This date coincides with the United Nations' World Press Freedom Day . Release dates for other countries and streaming platforms will be announced later. FAQs Who is Anna Politkovskaya and why is she important? Anna Politkovskaya was a Russian journalist who exposed corruption and war crimes. She died for reporting truthfully. When will Words of War be available to watch? The film opens in US theaters on May 2, 2025. Global and streaming releases are pending.
New York Times
01-05-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Times
‘Words of War' Review: Portrait of a Fearless Reporter
The sort of movie in which a story's inherent power is enough to oil otherwise creaky biopic machinery, 'Words of War' dramatizes the life of Anna Politkovskaya, the Russian journalist who became known for her tenacious reporting on the second Chechen war and for her undaunted criticism of Vladimir V. Putin. The movie opens with an apparent attempt on her life — a poisoning on an airplane — and ends with her death in 2006, when she was murdered in her Moscow apartment building. In between, it recounts the tremendous risks that Politkovskaya (played by Maxine Peake) faced in finding and persuading people to talk. When she travels to Grozny, she has difficulty earning the confidence of Chechens, who believe that no Russian reporter can be trusted. One says that she is trying to illuminate 'the black hole of the world.' The Russian military eyes her warily, too (a major threatens to slit her throat), and soon an agent (Ian Hart) visits her while she is getting coffee and a croissant in Moscow — to make it clear he's keeping watch. The closing credits acknowledge that the filmmakers (James Strong directed a screenplay by Eric Poppen) have taken some dramaturgical liberties, including inventing the Hart character. Politkovskaya's own description of serving as a hostage negotiator at a Moscow theater in 2002 differs in tenor from the portrayal of events onscreen. Some deviations are inevitable, but the expository dialogue — and the convention of having Russian characters speak English, with British accents — are distractions. Even so, Politkovskaya's bravery, and Peake's commitment to honoring it, is enough.
