‘Words of War’, Film About Assassinated Journalist Anna Politkovskaya, Debuts Official Trailer

Rolling Pictures on Tuesday released the official trailer for “Words of War,” an upcoming political drama based on the true story of world-renowned Russian-American investigative journalist and human rights activist Anna Politkovskaya, who was assassinated in 2006.

The film, executive produced by Oscar-winner Sean Penn and directed by Emmy and BAFTA Award winner James Strong, is set to be released in theaters nationwide on May 2, to coincide with the United Nations World Press Freedom Day on May 3.

“Words of War” stars Maxine Peake (“The Village”), Ciarán Hinds (“Game of Thrones”), Jason Isaacs (“White Lotus”, “Death of Stalin”), Ian Hart (“Eroica”), Ellie Bamber (“Nocturnal Animals”), Harry Lawtey (“Joker: Folie à Deux,” “Industry”), Sophie Simnett (“Daybreak”), and Ben Miles (“Andor,” “Diana”).

The film follows Politkovskaya’s fight to report the news for the Russian people, “putting her own life in jeopardy despite numerous acts of intimidation and violence,” according to the official description. Politkovskaya was known for reporting from Chechnya on the Second Chechen War, and survived a poisoning in 2004 only to later be assassinated in an elevator in 2006, drawing international attention.

Along with Penn, the film is executive produced by U.S. Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.), primary sponsor of the Journalist Protection Act, which would make intentionally harming a journalist with the intent of intimidating them from doing their job a federal crime.

“You dont have to sacrifice your life as Anna did, but if you can embody her resilience, continue to push boundaries and pursue the truth with the same unwavering dedication, then I promise, were going to be okay,” Swalwell said.

“This film succeeds beautifully as cinema and its drama will entertain you, while equally serving as a meditation on the ways we can regroup our sense of our own place, of what our voices must do,” Penn said in a statement. “As Anna herself said, there’s nothing of value apart from the truth.”