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
By Andreas Wiseman, DEADLINE
Political drama-thriller Words of War, about the life and murder of Russian-American investigative journalist Anna Politkovskaya has been sold domestically to Decal Releasing out of the TIFF market.
BAFTA-nominee Maxine Peake, Oscar-nominee Ciarán Hinds and BAFTA-nominee Jason Isaacs star in the film, which is being lined up for a theatrical release in Q1, 2025. Concourse Media struck the deal with Decal and will manage the P&A campaign after raising funds with the producers.
Pic is based on the real-life story of Politkovskaya’s pioneering crusade for an independent voice in Russia in the late 1990s and early 2000s. For years, she exposed the atrocities of Second Chechen War despite numerous acts of intimidation and violence. She gained widespread international renown for her criticisms of Russian leaders and stands as a pillar of press freedom. In 2006 on Vladimir Putin’s birthday, Politkovskaya was assassinated in her apartment elevator, an act that attracted widespread international attention and outrage.
Sean Penn has joined the project as an executive producer and was present at a recent National Press Club screening of the movie in Washington, D.C. Also in the room were famed journalist Bob Woodward, U.S. Congressman Eric Swalwell (D-CA), and former CIA director John Brennan.
The film was written by Eric Poppen and is directed by James Strong (Broadchurch). Matthew Shreder of Concourse Media, who represents worldwide rights, negotiated the deal on behalf of the filmmakers with Ayo-Kepher-Maat for Decal.
Producers are Mark Maxey for Rolling Pictures and Miriam Segal for Good Films Collective. Also exec producing are Stefanie Scott, Rick Crumly, Matthew Shreder, Grant Mohrman, Simon Fawcett, Andrew Wing, David and Alexandra Bell and co-executive producers are Brett Nemeroff and John Pettit.
“We are thrilled to be working with Decal to bring this this timely and powerful story to audiences,” said Shreder. “The relevance of Anna’s story in today’s evolving geopolitical landscape is striking, and it’s more important than ever to ensure her story is told.”
Penn said that “journalists are as essential to all our freedoms as air”, while Woodward observed of the film: “It’s not only a powerful movie but is an absolute truth that authoritarian regimes, like in this case, assassinate reporters.”
The project, formerly known as Mother Russia and Anna, hit some turbulence during production when Politkovskaya’s family members distanced themselves from the project.
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