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Exclusive: 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...

Exclusive: Political drama-thriller Words Of War, led by an ensemble including Maxine Peake, Ciarán Hinds, and Jason Isaacs, is heading to this month’s Cannes Market.

Rolling Pictures, Good Films Collective, and Concourse Media have partnered on the pic. Concourse Media has world rights and will present to buyers in Cannes. Check out first-look images from the film below and above.

Written by Eric Poppen and directed by James Strong (Broadchurch), the film is based on the real-life story of American-Russian journalist Anna Politkovskaya’s pioneering, brave crusade, fighting for an independent voice in Russia in the late 1990s and early 2000s. For seven years, she refused to give up reporting on the Second Chechen War despite numerous acts of intimidation and violence and was then assassinated in 2006. She gained widespread international renown for her criticisms of Russia and stands as a pillar of press freedom.

Peake plays Anna Politkovskaya,...

We have discussed killers that received slasher movies, folklore turned cannibalism, and plenty of possession via person, home, or even object. What we haven’t done too much of is the good old-fashioned cult. While we took a deep dive into Jim Jones and the tragedy of Jonestown paired with the very well-done Sacrament, there are a ton of real-life cults and cult leaders that have been put to celluloid in an attempt to both cash in and tell a compelling story. I mean, I’m writing this right now on the couch while my wife watches a documentary about a cult on Netflix. True crime and religious cult stuff exist in popular forms like podcasts, shows, and of course movies too. Today we will look at two things that don’t get a lot of widespread attention. The 2007 horror movie Borderland (watch it Here) and what it is loosely...

The family of Russian journalist Anna Politkovskaya has said an upcoming film inspired by her life is “grossly inaccurate” and misrepresents her work in a statement sent to journalists Tuesday afternoon.

In the statement, the family said it is “very concerned” by the film’s preliminary script, which they say contains “significant inaccuracies” and misrepresents Anna’s life, work, and family.

The film, previously titled Mother Russia, tells Anna’s story as a world-renowned journalist and human rights activist who went from being a local print journalist to braving the Chechen killing fields and exposing Russian state corruption under Vladimir Putin.

Anna refused to give up reporting on the war in Chechnya despite numerous acts of intimidation and violence, including being poisoned. She was ultimately murdered in the elevator of her block of flats, and it remains unclear who paid for the contract killing.

BAFTA-nominee Maxine Peake (The Village) plays Anna in the biopic.

Exclusive: Here’s your first look at BAFTA-nominee Maxine Peake (The Village) as the late, fearless Russian journalist Anna Politkovskaya in feature Anna.

As we revealed last week, production is underway in Riga, Latvia, on the biopic of the journalist, human rights activist and Putin scourge.

Ciarán Hinds (Belfast), Jason Isaacs (The Death of Stalin), Harry Lawtey (Industry), Ellie Bamber (Willow), and Naomi Battrick (The Postcard Killings) also star. BAFTA-winner James Strong (Broadchurch) directs from a screenplay by Eric Poppen.

Ellen Wander’s Film Bridge International has newly taken over sales duties from Luminosity due to what was described to us as a “change in the film’s financial structure”.

The film, previously titled Mother Russia, will tell the story of world-renowned journalist and human rights activist Politkovskaya, who went from being a local print journalist to braving the Chechen killing fields and exposing Russian state corruption under Vladimir Putin.

Exclusive: House of the Dragon star Emma D’Arcy has dropped out of feature thriller Anna about fearless Russian journalist Anna Politkovskaya due to a scheduling clash, replaced by Naomi Battrick (The Postcard Killings).

D’Arcy, who broke out as the older Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen in Game of Thrones prequel House of the Dragon, was due to play Politkovskaya’s daughter Vera Politkovskaya in the Cannes Market package which stars two-time BAFTA nominee Maxine Peake (Black Mirror) as lead and is directed by Broadchurch’s James Strong from a screenplay by Eric Poppen.

Deadline understands Battrick replaced D’Arcy several weeks ago in the film that was previously titled Mother Russia, with D’Arcy dropping out due to a scheduling clash. Battrick’s past credits include Danis Tanovic’s Cush Jumbo-starring thriller The Postcard Killings, in which she played Marina Haysmith. She also led Sky’s Jamestown and featured in BBC drama A Very English Scandal.

Exclusive: Two-time BAFTA nominee Maxine Peake (The Village) is set to star as renowned Russian journalist Anna Politkovskaya in the timely Cannes market package Mother Russia.

The film will tell the story of world-renowned journalist and human rights activist Politkovskaya, who went from being a local print journalist to braving the Chechen killing fields and exposing Russian state corruption under Vladimir Putin. She refused to give up reporting on the war in Chechnya despite numerous acts of intimidation and violence, including being poisoned. She was ultimately murdered in the elevator of her block of flats and it remains unclear who paid for the contract killing.

Oscar nominee Ciaran Hinds (Belfast) will play Nobel Prize-winning newspaper editor Dmitry Muratov and BAFTA nominee Jason Isaacs (The Death Of Stalin) will play Politkovskaya’s husband Sacha.

Luminosity Entertainment is launching worldwide sales on the project at the Cannes market.

Pic is being produced...

For My Bloody Valentine screenwriters Todd Farmer and Zane Smith, penning a script for a movie to be shot in the latest, most hi-tech version of 3-D yet did not pose any particular challenges. Nor did it call for them to dream up especially imaginative death scenes…at first.

“Certainly not initially,” says Farmer, whose previous credits include 2001’s Jason X and 2007’s The Messengers. “At first, we concentrated on characters and plot, because that’s really what we want to do. I mean, we’re all horror fans, so we’ve seen how some genre films have not pulled these things off. We wanted to tell an intriguing story, we wanted to have intriguing people—that was the first thing.

“But then I would be working on that aspect of it, and I would get a call in the middle of the night from my director,” Farmer continues, glancing over at the man himself,...

International site Filmz got their crafty mitts on eight (!) pieces of promotional art for the upcoming video game adaptation Clock Tower . You'll find three samples below, click here for the full gallery. The Hills Have Eyes 2 's Martin Weisz is attached to direct for Senator Entertainment using Eric Poppen's script. Brittany Snow is locked in as the leading lady. Based on the popular video game series, this film takes its cue from the second installment which finds the heroine locked up in a psychiatric hospital trying to escape the curse that has haunted her family for generations.

Russian film site Filmz.ru has snagged the first look at eight pieces of promotional artwork for the upcoming video game adaptation Clock Tower. Take a little peek below, then click here to see them all.

Based on the survival/horror title that spawned two sequels, Clock Tower is said to be filming shortly with locations recently scouted in Michigan. Variety reported back in April that production was set for a July start, which was subsequently delayed.

Not much else is currently known about the long-awaited film sans the attachment of Director Martin Weisz (The Hills Have Eyes 2) working from a screenplay by Eric Poppen (Borderland), with Brittany Snow (Prom Night) attached to star.

Early information idicates that the film will take it's cue largely from the game's second installment, Clock Tower 2: The Struggle Within, "in which the heroine finds herself locked up in a psychiatric hospital as...

Contrary to previous report about her starring in "Clock Tower", Milla Jovovich may not come aboard the horror thriller project. Giving out the denial, ShockTillYouDrop announced that that reps from Jovovich's official site has clarified the actress is not going to make a starring appearance in the flick.

Earlier this week, Bloody-Disgusting has declared that Jovovich had signed on this video game adaptation. The site reported that the 32-year-old will star as Alyssa Barron. For the part, the "Ultraviolet" star will join other actors signed earlier, including Brittany Snow and Alyssa Jayne Hale.

On other "Tower" news, director Martin Weisz is said to take this project up to life for Senator Entertainment and The Weinstein Company. The production is going be started in November in Los Angeles. Meanwhile, writer Eric Poppen has been chosen to do the screenplay.

The story of "Tower" will center on a heroine trapped in a psychiatric hospital.

You know, at this point I think that Milla Jovovich should probably be named the patron saint of video game flicks. Mainly it's because that in the barrage of crappy console-to- screen properties, there are none more beloved than the Resident Evil series. So I can only hope that some of that 'geek shine' is going to rub off on The Weinstein's latest attempt. Bloody Disgusting (who is usually pretty reliable when it comes to all things horror) has confirmed that Jovovich is set to star in the big-screen adaptation of Capcom's horror-survival game, Clock Tower. Even though this news is still in the rumor stage, Bd is confident that Jovovich is already on board.

News of the film first surfaced back in April, and last month Variety had announced that Brittany Snow (Prom Night) signed on for the lead. According to sources, Jovovich will play "a woman in a...

This past week it was announced that Brittany Snow (Prom Night) will topline Senator Entertainment's vidgame adaptation Clock Tower, with Martin Weisz (The Hills Have Eyes 2) directing the production. While the film continues to cast for a shoot this November in Los Angeles, we scored a look at the latest casting breakdown for the film that follows a troubled young woman being treated at a hospital psych ward finds friendship and a kindred spirit in the person of a psychiatrist whose family history is bisects her own... The film was adapted by Eric Poppen and has gone through three director changes in the past two years.

Brian Presley, Rider Strong and Jake Muxworthy head the cast of Borderland, a Mexico-set crime tale that Lions Gate Films has begun filming in and around Tijuana. The cast also includes Martha Higareda, Roberto Sosa, Jose Maria Yazpik and Damian Alcazar. The fact-based film revolves around three young men who end up on the wrong side of a local ancient cult. Zev Berman (Plain Dirty) will direct from a screenplay he wrote with Eric Poppen. Lauren Moews will produce under the Tonic Films shingle along with Randall Emmett and George Furla of Emmett/Furla Films, Freedom Films and Elisa Salinas of Tau Prods.