Words of War

Maxine Peake leads an excellent cast in this true story of journalist Anna Politkovskaya’s fight to expose corruption and abuse in Putin’s Russia.

Fearless in the face of escalating threats, internationally acclaimed journalist Anna Politkovskaya fought to expose the truth about Putin’s government and the conflict in Chechnya through her work on an independently owned Russian newspaper. Maxine Peake gives a mesmerising performance as the journalist, supported by an impressive cast including Jason Issacs, Ciarán Hinds, and Emma D’Arcy.

James Strong’s engrossing drama focusses on the Second Chechen war from 1999-2005 and Politkovskaya’s involvement as a mediator during a hostage crisis at a Moscow theatre. Displaying the same skill for distilling complex events into a gripping, human-centred narrative as seen in his earlier ITV drama, Mr Bates vs The Post Office, Strong’s film pays tribute to Politkovskaya’s story and legacy - a vital reminder of contemporary threats to democracy, press freedom, and human rights.