Australian Luminosity Entertainment will produce a new film that will shed light on the life and tragic death of acclaimed Russian journalist and human rights activist Anna Politkovskaya, according to information published by Deadline.
The film titled “Mother Russia” will be directed by British director James Strong best known for his work on the crime drama TV series “Broadchurch.”
Anna Politkovskaya became famous worldwide for her coverage of the Second Chechen War, in which she uncovered multiple human rights violations and abuses committed during the conflict.
Politkovskaya received regular death threats connected to her investigative work. She was murdered in the entrance to her apartment building in October 2006. Instigators or sponsors of Politkovskaya’s murder have never been identified or charged.
Politkovskaya will be portrayed on the screen by the two-times BAFTA-nominated English actress Maxine Peake, while Oscar-nominated actor Ciaran Hinds will take on the role of Nobel prize-winning editor-in-chief of Russia’s Novaya Gazeta, Dmitry Muratov.
“Anna Politkovskaya’s story is one of unbelievable determination and courage in the face of unimaginable circumstances. I am so thrilled to be working with Miriam and Paul on this extraordinary film,” Luminosity Entertainment CEO Daniel Diamond told Deadline.
Politkovskaya’s husband Alexander Politkovsky will be played by Jason Isaacs, who is also known to viewers for his portrayal of Georgy Zhukov in Armando Iannucci’s “The Death of Stalin.”
Production of the biopic is set to commence late this summer in London and an unspecified location in Latvia.
Politkovskaya’s story was previously depicted on screen in “A Bitter Taste of Freedom,” a documentary by late Russian-American filmmaker Marina Goldovskaya.
